Next Gen Short Story Compilation
by InfinitNei
Summary: ((2015-PRESENT)) A compilation of various next generation scenes from my rewrite; all of which take place after Laxus and Neirah's wedding. I will try to keep them posted in chronological order so keep in mind that the newest post may not be the latest chapter. (Some mature insinuations in some entries - Mostly T)
1. Love is a Gamble

**_Love is a Gamble_**

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Laxus sighed dismally as his weary gaze roamed over the mound of wedding this and that's strewn about their living room, his nose twitching as he tried to dispel the stain of black ink from his nostrils. He rested his chin on his folded arms as he sat on the floor next to the table Neirah was painting on, watching every inked stoke dry on the parchment. "I really don't get what the big deal is... Can't we just say the words and be done with it?"

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"Trust me, Prince, nothing would make me happier in this moment." Neirah threw one hand back behind her head to rub a stiff kink from between her hunched shoulders. "If nothing else I think my calligraphy's actually improving."

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He rolled his gaze to the side, his words muffled from behind his forearms. "Well if it's not a big deal, why're you makin' a big deal out of it?"

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Neirah sighed and dropped her gaze to his, a sleepy little smile on her lips. "It's out of my hands at this point. I mean, think about it; it's a big deal no matter how you look at it simply because we're... well… a big deal."

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A curt scoff caught defiantly behind his arms. "How d'you figure?"

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"Well, let's slice it up this way," she mused, drawing two fingers before her lips as she tipped her gaze to the ceiling. "Two of the ten wizard saints, two outwardly controversial dragon slaying powerhouses…" She unfolded a couple more fingers to the count. "Fairy Tail's prince and the infinity empress, a Sorcerer Weekly pinup and her hunky husband to be? Oh, and then to top everything off, pretty much everyone in the world knows I'm not human." She dropped backwards on top of her to-do list with an exasperated huff of impatience. "It's a celebrity matchup no matter how you look at it." She shifted her gaze to her stack of invitations before knocking them over defiantly. "We'll be lucky if it's only the city of Magnolia in attendance. With my luck, all of Fiore will be there. I swear, if I'm fat for what Erza calls _my big day_ , I'm going to lose it."

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Laxus shimmied up to his fiancé, curling one hand around her flat tummy as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I still don't get why it's gotta be such a pain in the neck."

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"You mean pain in my neck? I'm the one hunched over all these invitations." She teased with a laugh, simply grateful for his presence as she strained over her objective. Watching couldn't exactly be exciting for him either. She slipped her fingers up over his as he rested them on her shoulder, his thumb rolling the aches from her nape. "Maybe they're all just coming to see if you'll level the church again," she teased wryly, raking her nails lightly over the top of his hand.

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"Oh yeah?" He challenged energetically. "They could just be interested in watching you try to kill me again."

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She scrunched up her nose distastefully. Shot-for-shot was typical with them even after they'd found out they were about to be a modest family of three. "I'm sure most people are expecting that to happen but they've graciously allotted you a year of survival time before we're gathering again to say farewell to the fool who wed a little psycho. Seriously, my brother is taking wagers."

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"On how long our marriage is gonna last? Are you serious?" Laxus growled. "You're just gonna let him do that?"

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"Oh relax, I told him to knock it off and he just took it underground like the fuzzy little sleazeball he is," she chimed. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'm sure you'll last more than a year."

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"You say that like there's actually a chance you're going to try and kill me."

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"Laxus, I'm pregnant. No holds barred, or so I hear." She closed her eyes, her fervour fading with the addition to his second hand's efforts in easing her pains. "Mn… and if you want to go there-"

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"No… I don't want to go there." He interrupted swiftly, his words heady against her ear. "Here's good enough for me." He smiled as she squirmed sheepishly against his embrace, a whimsical chuckle on her lips. "You can send out every invite here but only one person there is gonna matter to me."

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She turned in his arms and laid one of her hands alongside his cheek. "Don't try to be cute," she warned him with a delighted smile. "Cute isn't your thing."

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"Then what is my thing?" He inquired softly, a playful ring in his voice as he raked his teeth over the hand she embraced him with. "Just tell me and I'll be that."

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Neirah's brow twitched expectantly with her amusement. "Oh sweetie, keep talkin' like that and you'll make it more than a year in this marriage." With a deep inhale, she turned entirely and spread her thighs over his lap, throwing her arms around his neck; silently promising to readjust her bet with her big brother in the morning. Her heavy-lidded gaze roamed a moment before returning to his with sly intent. "If we have a little girl, will you have tea with us and let her put flowers in your hair?"

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There wasn't a lot of hesitation between his blink and his reply. "No."

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Neirah burst with laughter before placing a quick kiss on his lips. "So you want a boy then?"

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"I didn't say that," he defended hastily. "Just not particularly fond of the idea of dress up."

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She wrinkled her nose and sealed her eyes tight, her tight-lipped smile sardonic as she rubbed her nose against his. "You're blushing," she teased.

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A startled breath escaped her as she was dropped to the floor among her RSVP's beneath his swell in fervour. His affections always seemed to shine when they started talking about the child their ventures had left inside her. "From the stories your brother tells, I think I'll have to worry more about keeping her from drowning in mud puddles or dropping trees on her head."

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"That's not fair," Neirah defended playfully. "I didn't have the choice."

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Her expression warmed beneath him when his hands found either side of her face. "We worked hard to get this far," he assured her warmly. "I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make sure that our kid's got everything they could ever want."

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Neirah tipped her humble smile his way, an affectionate glow in her eyes. "Everything except put flowers in your hair."

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He leant down and pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. "I'll consider it."

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"In the words of the wise. Flowers are manly," she teased through a delighted fit of laughter. "A real man would wear them with pride."

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"Wise words huh?"

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She slipped her fingers into his hair and drew him into a passionate embrace. After a moment of indulgence, she pulled away and braced her brow against his. "You're going to be a good daddy," she whispered tenderly. "I have faith in you."

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"I'll try to be better than ours," he crooned gently. "That's a promise."

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Neirah smiled affectionately and simply lingered in the refreshing state of bliss that recharged her ambitions for the pile of cards and cords needing to be prepared for their big day. "Well, I should really get back to all this… you know… fun stuff."

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Laxus leant into her and pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head. "Fair enough," he rumbled. "Then I guess tonight, dinner's on me."

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Neirah looked back at him in surprise and delight. "Ooh, mommy likes." She watched him climb to his feet and head for the kitchen. "You're starting strong, prince."

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Laxus smiled smugly as he paused in the doorway and closed his eyes. He didn't have to turn and face her to imagine the sudden drop in her expression. "So strong you might even wanna raise your bet?"

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"I- how could you even suggest that I would take part in my brother's ridiculous games?!"

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Laxus snorted and turned to face his blushing wife. "Please, bets are being put on my fuck ups and you seriously didn't think I was in on it?" He smiled smugly and shrugged his arms out to either side. "I have me out the day our kid's born."

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Neirah narrowed her gaze on him dismally. "And what makes you think I'll kill you that particular day?"

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Laxus opened one eye to examine her innocence. "Well, I don't exactly think it's a comfortable experience."

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Neirah's expression paled as she considered his words, leaving Laxus to escape into the kitchen.

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"Not my first rodeo when it comes to gambling," he crooned above the clattering of pots and pans. "Just remember the little things like this when you're considering decapitation." He grinned and hitched up against the counter as he filled a deep pot with some water. "Worst case scenario, the cash my victory pulls in sets you and our kid up for a while."

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Laxus hummed curiously when Neirah sauntered grimly through the kitchen and bopped her brow up against his chest. "Hm? Out of ink?"

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"Maybe it's best if you're not there when our child is born…"

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"You're probably right."


	2. Baby Talk

**_Baby Talk_**

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"Well, is it a girl or a boy?"

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"Dude, souls don't work that way…"

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Laxus all but growled and leant forward to brace the weight of his exhausted expression over the table he was interrogating at. "Come on, you gotta know something. Does it have a good soul like its mother? Or is it rotten to the core like mine."

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"You're not rotten, Laxus," Evergreen whined in exasperation. It was easy to tell that they had been growing tired of trying to comfort their edgy companion.

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"Easy for you to say, you didn't have to raise me."

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"Ever's right," Freed added supportively. "You're over–analysing this. Not knowing what your child is going to be like when they are born is all part of the experience."

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"'Cause you've got tonnes of experience ahead of me…"

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Freed outwardly flinched at his companion's impatient snarl.

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"Yea man, besides, I got nothin'," Bickslow assured him confidently. "All I could do was see that your wifey had a plus one."

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Laxus closed his eyes and nodded, folding his arms over his chest as if he were following. "That's right."

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"That's _all_ ," Bickslow reiterated.

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Laxus nodded again before opening his eyes to look back at the man with a stern expression. "So, was it a good soul or-?"

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"Get a life man!"

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"Laxus?"

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The four joined in the conversation were silenced with the gentle coo of their visitor.

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"Oof..." Neirah grunted softly as she stepped up onto the landing their table was sitting on. She heaved a heavy sigh of exasperation before swatting her husband's doting hand away. Her once gentle expression grew stern as she looked back at her anxious husband. "Could I speak to you for a minute?"

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Laxus groaned and watched her start to waddle away as independently as she came, obviously defying his wishes for her to stay home. "Great, now I'm in trouble," he rumbled bleakly moments before starting after her. "This day's really shaping up."

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"Didn't need to see souls to see that comin'." Bickslow teased, watching them leave.

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* * *

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"I think we need to talk about some things." Neirah started quietly, seeing herself down the stairs leading into Southgate Park.

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Because Laxus had made it to the bottom of the steps first, he found it really hard not to reach for her hand as she stumbled upon the last one. He helped her steady herself once more before reluctantly releasing his worrisome hold on her fingers. Independent women were the worst thing for his shot nerves. "I'm listening…"

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"Laxus, I'm pregnant, not dead." She started softly, trying to disguise the fact that she was trying her hardest to search out an available bench to sit at. If she were a better woman, she might've admitted that he was right and that walking all the way from home to the guild was exhausting in her current state. "The world hasn't stopped because I'm with child and to be honest, the only thing that has been stressful about expecting has been the complete meltdown daddy Dreyar has been going through."

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Laxus buried his hands in his pockets, diverting his bashful expression from her prying gaze.

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"Really? My Laxus, husband to a dragon, wizard saint, war veteran; and his greatest weakness is growing in my belly."

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Laxus turned to face her with a look of disbelief. "So you're telling me that you're not in even the slightest bit concerned about how things are gonna change in a couple of weeks."

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"Actually, I'm hoping they'll change for the better," she assured him curtly. "Because honestly, if you keep up the way you've been going, you're going to burn yourself out and me right along with you."

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"Tsk, you sound like the old man," he murmured grimly. "And you haven't exactly been helping," he chided impatiently. "You don't act like a normal woman would in your situation. Everything I was warned about, the sickness, the fatigue, the crazy cravings at all hours of the night, you've got none of it. Did you know Bisca held up an entire sweet shop to get a slice of pie? She doesn't even like pie. Are you sure you're pregnant? Because, so far as I know, there've been no dragon sightings near any of the usual tea cake hot spots across the continent."

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Neirah narrowed her gaze at him grimly. "Nah I just thought an extra 40lbs would do me good."

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"Well, you were pretty tiny."

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Neirah sighed and approached a freed bench, slowly lowering herself down upon it with the help of his reassuring grasp. "Look, sweetie, I know you're concerned and that's adorable, but I really need you to be strong right now. This hasn't exactly been a walk in the park for me either. Especially considering how tough this walk through the park has been."

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"Who could tell?" He quipped, taking a seat beside her. He leant forward and rested his elbows against his knees. "You've been making it look so easy."

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"Well, it isn't," she assured him softly, laying her fingers against one of his thighs. "I want to tell you something, but I also want you to promise you won't add it to the list of reasons you regret this."

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"I don't regret anything," he defended sharply.

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"Well then hopefully this doesn't tip you over," she chided, diverting her gaze to where she watched some kids play with a ball in the centre of the park. "When I was born, I wasn't born like this…" She whispered bleakly, her heart heavy and stomach churning. "My mother knew to look at me that I wasn't human. My father had developed a magic that allowed him to take human form, but he didn't have an ounce of mortal blood in his body." She tried to avoid his disheartened gaze as it strayed, keeping her attention downcast. "But I wasn't a dragon either. I had traits of both like any other child would inherit from their parents. It was because the one who carried me was human… I took human shape. But this time… a dragon is carrying the child… our child."

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"But… you're human now… You have been for years."

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"Like my father? Who took a mortal appearance once too?" She turned her fretful gaze to face him. "You can worry about how much of a handful our son or daughter might be, you can worry about how things are going to change when they come into this world… but I'm going to sit and worry that my mark on this child is going to hinder their life from the start; bathing them in ridicule and judgment." She sighed and laid her hands on the round arch of her tummy.

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Laxus wasn't quite sure what to say. All he really knew was that the panic he was containing was the last thing he wanted to rise in conversation. "Can't… can't you just learn the same spells your mother used on you and-"

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"My mother had a matter of years," Neirah whimpered gently. "I have a matter of weeks." Her tormented expression turned to observe him. "Even so, Levy and I have been trying to figure it out since the day we translated Suri's warning in her journal. The problem is that Suri's magic was primitive and powerful. It was long lost over the centuries. She learned it from my father."

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Laxus reached out and scooped her hands up in his, holding them strongly in his lap. "Ok, I get it… I've been a real jerk lately," he assured her guiltily. "But you shouldn't have kept this from me all this time."

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"I know," she whimpered. "And I feel terrible…"

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He brushed loose strands of hair back over her ear to join the long braid at her back before placing a tender kiss on her temple. "But just because it happened then, doesn't mean history is guaranteed to repeat itself. You're only half'a daddy's girl."

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"You're right, I might be worried for nothing." She whispered gently. "He may be in my blood, but I'm diluted and I may yet have more to thank my late mother for. I guess it's just still hard for me to believe that Ryverika was actually my father the whole time. All the things I could have said to him… all the questions I could have asked. Fate has just dragged me through one big muddy circle and life has been so peaceful and perfect lately that I'm just afraid-"

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She whimpered a hum of inquiry as her words were interrupted by the blissfully gentle kiss he pressed against her soft lips. He exhaled gently and mediated the progression of his thoughts for a moment before he was sure he was ready to be comforting. "I'm sure it will be fine. There's no sense in worrying about things we can't change."

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"Oh? When did you become so mature? About a minute ago?" She crooned. "Like how you expect you can change the soul of our child?"

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He turned up his nose defiantly, hoping the act would distract her from the light flush in his cheeks. "I don't want to change it, I just want to know what I'm dealin' with." He lowered his voice to a dull murmur like he thought he could hide his conclusion from the sharp ears of his wife. "Or whether I need to skip town…"

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"You're not going to run from our children, Laxus!" She laughed out loud.

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"Please don't say that like there's more than one in there."

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"So much for gimme twenty-seven," she crooned, resting her head against his shoulder. "I told you you were drunk."

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"Don't patronise me, woman," he demanded gruffly. "Not when we can't settle the score like we used to."

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Neirah smiled sincerely and rolled her palm over her expanded girth. "I don't think we're expecting a litter," she whispered playfully. "But I _do_ think it's a boy."

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Laxus tipped his gaze star-ward. "Please don't say that either."

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Neirah stared off into her own little world with a soft, beaming smile on her expression before quietly closing her eyes. "Call it mother's intuition… maybe it's all in my head… but I'm almost sure. And he gets stronger every day, circulating his father's power through his tiny body with every heartbeat."

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"What about his mother's power?" Laxus murmured gently against her temple. "The power of gods."

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Neirah turned and smiled up at him tenderly. "Gods don't fall in love with mortals."

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"Your old man did." He smiled down at her as she cuddled up against him on the park bench like it came naturally to them, nuzzling her way into his shoulder. "And if I'm the fool you came down for, I'm alright with that."

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"You really do get more and more charming with age," she teased. "I love you more every day…"

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He gave a light growl and raised her fingers to his gentle smile. "Love me, love me not." He placed a tender kiss on her wedding band. "Forever's a long time to have to put up with me and there's not a hell of a lot you can do to get rid of me now."

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"Forever is also a long time to have to live my life any other way," she murmured in affectionate assurance.

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"When you talk like that, all I want to do is rip your clothes off," he admitted gruffly.

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"Even when I look like this?" She indicated in exalted playfulness.

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"Especially when you look like this."

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"Well, this isn't exactly the most appropriate place for me to crawl into your lap."

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"Don't talk like that," he groaned edgily. "I've still got to go back to work."

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"You could come home with me," she encouraged. "It would help us de-stress." She rolled her fingertips over his shoulder, kneading tension from his tight muscles. "You could really use it."

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"I don't like how easily you can manipulate me." He rumbled shortly, cutting his narrow gaze her way. "It's a good thing you're not like most women or I'd probably be in jail already for killing an old lady over the last cream puff."

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"Nonsense," She crooned, rolling her fingers roughly through his hair. "I have all the cream puff I can handle right here."

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"Oh god, it's starting… I don't know whether I should be aroused or insulted right now."

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"I wouldn't dare insult the mighty Laxus Dreyar." She purred, placing a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth. "So, tell me, prince. What's it going to take to get you out of those pants?"

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"You could try taking them off?"

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"Oh yes… you're coming home with me…"


	3. A New Beginning

**A New Beginning**

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"You wanted to see me?"

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Makarov turned his head from where he was observing the sunset over the horizon to where his grandson slowly approached. Makarov hummed in acknowledgement of his presence before looking back into the break of golden rays over the city beneath the hill he stood upon.

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"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Laxus mused, taking his grandfather's side. He heaved a heavy sigh, his arms folded over his chest. "You made it sound pretty important back at the guild."

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"Hm, yes…" Makarov closed his eyes and bowed his head in thought as he let the silence extend between them.

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Laxus shifted his gaze towards the contemplative old man suspiciously, but all his guild master did was stare into the setting sun.

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"You've changed." Makarov murmured, forcing Laxus to flinch at his side. He turned and smiled up at the man proudly. "I told you life could be a lot of fun." The two parted gaze when they met, both turning into the day's final light almost simultaneously. "And now, you have someone to share it with."

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"Yea…" Laxus stammered out bashfully, glancing down at the gold band wrapped around his ring finger. "Guess I do…"

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Another long silence passed between them before Makarov spoke again. "I want you to tell me something, and I want you to be honest." He started slowly. "Neirah… When I told you to stay away from her, did you find your way into her arms simply to spite me?"

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"Honest…?" Laxus responded gently. "I thought about it." Makarov turned to face Laxus in the moment a subtle flash of humour found his solitary expression overlooking the city. "But I turned her away once too. I guess it made me nervous. It's not like you to judge someone so quickly so I knew something was up." He scoffed lightly to himself and bowed his head, closing his eyes in reminiscence. "But she stuck around… It didn't matter how bad I screwed up. She was always there."

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The two stared out over the horizon for another long and silent moment.

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"You knew all along… didn't you, old man?" Laxus rumbled curiously. "That she wasn't human." He was almost certain that Makarov was going to avoid the question… but he didn't.

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"You can hide a lot of things from me… You two were successful at accomplishing this for a long time." Makarov turned and looked at him seriously. "But there was no denying the power that child had inside her."

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"Look, she's never hurt anyone here. She doesn't need thi-"

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Makarov interrupted him before he could continue. "I think it's a little late for me to try and interfere now, don't you?"

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Laxus turned away with a guilty flush in his features. "Yea… I didn't really expect to be a dad at-"

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"WELL, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN!?" Makarov demanded frantically, swatting him with a rolled up bundle of paper. Laxus cringed, retreating to the side with his startle. "Don't think I don't have eyes, boy! I know exactly what was going on in your head to result in this!"

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"Whatever…" Laxus dismissed casually, brushing off his concerns. "I've got no regrets."

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"Well, at least I can be glad for that," Makarov added humbly. "But that's not the reason I asked you out here."

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"Hm?"

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"I'm too old for this." Makarov groaned out in exasperation. "Becoming a great grandfather has reminded me of that."

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Laxus looked back at Makarov with a panicked expression, his heart sinking with the anxiety his grandfather's statement rose within him. "And why're you tellin' me?"

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Makarov bowed his head with a perplexed expression on his tired features. "I believe in living without regret as well. For that reason, I've decided that it is past due for me to retire my name as Fairy Tail's guild Master."

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Laxus scoffed boldly in defiance with his denial of his grandfather's honesty. "Oh please, you've been sayin' that for years. Everyone knows that you're just gonna-"

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"I don't want to regret leaving Fairy Tail in your hands." Laxus stilled in bewilderment, turning to face his grandfather's serious expression with a wide and trembling stare.

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"M-my hands? Hold on." He demanded uncertainly. "You're-"

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"Promoting the guild's ninth Master."

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It took Laxus a long and vacant moment to process the reality that had struck him. When he finally did, he turned away and sternly shook his head. "I don't want it."

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Makarov drew up arms in a frantic rage. "You think I care what you want?! When I tell you to do something, you listen up and do it!"

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"Look, you got the wrong guy, ok?"

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Makarov gave a light growl as Laxus turned to walk away from him. "Don't you walk away from me, young man!" Makarov warned, causing an exasperated sigh to slip past Laxus' lips. He paused mid-step and turned to face his grandfather with an unimpressed gaze. "A few years ago, I would have been the first to agree with you. You were all the arrogant, stubborn, reckless, irresponsible-"

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"Alright, I get it." Laxus interrupted impatiently, tired of recoiling with every insult his grandfather offered. "I was a real jerk." He murmured solemnly.

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"But I said it earlier and I'll say it again. You've changed." Makarov smiled up at him reassuringly. "Now you have Neirah and a son; hopefully all the rebellious little thunderhead you ever were. I believe that will more than keep you grounded."

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Laxus turned away with another coy scoff. "Good to know I have your blessing." He grumbled.

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"Entirely," Makarov assured him, drawing Laxus' attention back his way. "If I've learned anything from Fairy Tail's Shadow, it is to believe in the light." Laxus bowed his head with a warm smile just thinking about the analogy and how far it'd come. "She saw it in you from the very beginning. With her by your side, I have no doubt you will succeed and see this guild prosper for a new generation of wizards." Laxus tipped his gaze back towards him from under his brow. "Starting with Alex."

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"You're serious this time…" Laxus started sentimentally. "You're really goin'?" He paled with Makarov's excitedly broad smile.

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"I'm a retired man! I'm free to go wherever I please!"

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Laxus drew back in panic as Makarov thrust the papers he had rolled up into his arms. "You can start with Natsu's latest venture and when you're done there, there's a long list of people waiting to be a part of the greatest guild on the continent."

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"W-wai-"

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"Here's a list of recent complaints from the magic council and the bill for the damage done in Crocus during this year's Grand Magic Games." Makarov smiled and draped the sack he'd packed over his shoulder. "Ah, don't worry. I'm sure between you and Neirah, you can figure it out." He gave a sadistic chuckle before starting over the hillside. "Don't worry; I'll be back to visit my great grandson. When he's old enough, I've got a variety of vengeful pranks I intend on letting him in on for payback over the missing hair I received in the name of his father's actions!" He encouraged, forcing Laxus to roll his eyes. "After that, who knows! I'm a fairy in the wind!" Makarov threw his hand back over his shoulder upon parting, a delighted skip in his step. "Too-da-loo!"

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Laxus bowed his head, his expression darkened as his affectionate smile found his lips. After a long moment of just lingering in one spot, his grip trembling around the paperwork he'd just been handed, he finally raised his voice in parting. "Grandpa!"

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Makarov froze in his tracks, his expression wavering with the emotion he tried to conceal with his departure. 'So close…' He turned his head, trying desperately to hide his tears. The effort became in vain when he turned to see his grandson standing proudly before him with his index finger drawn high into the air.

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"I'll do my best," Laxus assured him confidently. "For our family."

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Makarov smiled back at him with a heavy heart and trembling lips, his pride swelling with the joy the moment brought him. He returned the gesture, the setting sun at his back. "For Fairy Tail!"

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Even though he knew he'd be back, he couldn't help but walk away from the guild's ninth master with a heavy heart. 'I'll be keeping a close eye on you, Laxus. But I have faith in what you've become… no… in what you've discovered you've always been. Stay strong, and when you feel like quitting, I want you to look up at that emblem and find your strength. Remember why you're here. Why you've always been here.' Makarov shuttered with the images of Laxus' youth running through his mind. 'The sun has set on my time, but for you? It is only the beginning.'

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 _*"Oh! I know! In the middle of the parade, I'll do THIS!" A young Laxus exclaimed, thrusting a finger into the air. "You can see that, right?"_

 _._

 _"You'll raise your hand?"_

 _._

 _"It's a message. When you see me holdin' up my hand like this, it means even if I can't see you, I'm looking your way!"*_

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Makarov's breathing hitched as he uttered his final words under his breath. "I will always… be looking your way…"

.

Laxus didn't move until his grandfather had vanished from sight with the last golden rays of the sun. He looked up into dusk as it settled; no brilliant light left in the sky to catch the fall of his tears as he smiled towards it. He still hadn't felt the weight of his new title sink in as he walked through town, he was far too busy reminiscing about the times he and his Grandfather had shared together. 'Great. The list just keeps on growin' of things I gotta fight not to screw up.' He thought humbly pausing at the edge of town in front of his home. A faint smile curled his lips as he looked up into the bedroom window where a candle flickered behind the glass pane.

.

Catching the sight of his arrival, Neirah waved down to him before disappearing from the window ledge. With warmth in his heart, he approached the front door that opened before he had a chance to reach for the door knob. She looked down at the papers he was carrying before hearing the clumsy retell of his experience outside of town. The effort resulted in her throwing her arms around him with her excitement.

.

'I knew I was screwed from the moment she called me 'sir'…' He held her head to his chest and gently kissed her brow. 'I guess I just didn't realise how screwed I really was.'


	4. Hibernation

**Hibernation  
**.

.

Fairy Tail. Not much had changed over the years, but what did had an exhausted expression weighing Laxus' expression down. The guild hall was just as rowdy as ever and equally as destructive. The only difference was that he was the one left to deal with the aftermath and clean up. But it had become all a part of a day's work, and the day was done. "I bet the old man's just lovin' this." He murmured softly to himself, picturing the trolling smile his grandfather was no doubt sending his way. Nearing the edge of town, his swift steps grew languid and a warm smile found his lips.

.

The hour was late and the starry blanket of night had settled peacefully over the house they'd made into a home after their son was born. Everything had happened so fast that he had still found himself caught in the exhilarating moment every time he looked into the window of their bedroom and saw the cozy flicker of candle light dancing behind the glass pane. A night never went by that she didn't wait up for him; that night had been no exception.

.

He was careful to be gentle with the door as he opened it and stepped inside, knowing full well that Fairy Tail's new prince would be sound asleep well before his arrival. As the door gently latched, the silence that he would normally climb the stairs in was broken in the most pleasant of manners. "And divinity soars on golden wings," He slowly turned and redirected his attention to where the flames moved the warm light against the walls at the top of the stairs. "Let break the heavens for the song he sings."

.

His expression softened with fondness as he climbed the stairs on approach, the sound of his wife's angelic voice whispering through the rooms with her song. "Let the skies rain down, ring in harmony," He was cautious in his step as he rounded the top of the stairs and silently stepped into their son's doorway; hitching his shoulder up against the frame as he folded his arms over his chest to look on. "And his light shine on infinitely."

.

She reached out and gently brushed auburn bangs from her son's brow, her song low and serene as she lulled him to sleep on infinity's fable. "And may the shadow's rise," Her lips rounded into a joyous smile, her cheeks warming with devotion as she watched a lethargic smile curl his little lips; Lucky clutched tightly in his sleepy embrace. "And may the shadow's rise…" She leant forwards from where she was sitting by his bedside and pressed her lips to his forehead; falling back again with the proud smile of a doting mother. "So that he might know how bright he shines…"

.

Laxus was more than content listening to her gentle tone swell with elegant fervour, but to his ultimate dismay, her confidence faded with the realisation of his presence nearby.

.

"And may the shado-" Neirah caught her breath, her cheeks colouring with surprise and a trace amount of embarrassment when she turned her brilliant blue gaze his way. "Laxus." She breathed out softly, quickly adjusting her demeanour for the difference in affection she displayed between the men in her life. "Welcome home." She purred tenderly, tipping her head to one side with a coy expression.

.

He adjusted his folded arms across his chest and returned her loving expression with a sly rousing of his features. "Do you really think it's wise to be singing our son to sleep with songs of the apocalypse?" He crooned mischievously in challenge. She turned her bashful expression away and gently rolled the comforter up over her child's shoulders.

.

"Of course." She whispered sweetly. "Ryverika will forever be a part of Alex's life… whether he knows it, or not." Her expression faltered with solemn regret as she straightened and laid her hands in her lap in silent observation of their sleeping child. "Even if the truth is eluded, I refuse to let his memory fade." She flinched and tipped her surprised gaze his way when he slowly slid his fingers over her shoulders. Quickly redisplaying her tender smile, she turned back to face Alex; raising one hand to her shoulder to intertwine her husband's fingers with her own. She closed her eyes, the colour in her face deepening as he leant forwards and kissed the top of her head.

.

"Imagine that, something we can agree on."

.

Neirah tipped her dozy gaze back to look up at him, a dull and dangerous flash in her eyes. "Is that a challenge?" She teased curtly, violet sparks crawling over the top of his hand as she tightened her grip on it. A low, defiant scoff caught in his chest with her insinuation.

.

"Maybe..." He sassed wryly. "But you might wanna be careful or Alex might wake up to find out that he's pure-blood crazy."

.

"So you _are_ challenging me?" She crooned, slowly climbing to her feet to draw up to him in feigning threat; a playful spring in her barefooted step. "I still have some fight left in me, Prince."

.

He reached out and slid his fingertips over the side of her face, pushing the long pieces of her hair back that weren't restrained behind her head in her elegant French braid. "It's been a long time since you've called me that."

.

She tilted her head into his comforting embrace, closing her eyes to delight in the warmth of his touch. "That's because my prince has become a king." She cooed gently, turning to look over her shoulder at their son as he slumbered. "Fairy Tail has a new prince now." She turned back to face him and gently traced the lines of his scar beneath her fingertips. "But perhaps... I'm just feeling the slightest bit nostalgic tonight."

.

"I saw Lucky has found his way out into the light again." He teased, smoothing his palms over her shoulders. "Is everything alright?"

.

She almost laughed at the concern that immediately found his features with the obvious straying of his thoughts. It was amusing to think of how worrisome he'd become since Alex's birth. "Yes, everything's fine." She assured him. "Alex was having a bad dream, so I gave him Lucky and told him some stories about when his uncle gave him to me."

.

"Speaking of uncle, I think you should come with me tomorrow and have a nice long chat with him before he has a complete meltdown."

.

Neirah raised her fingers to her lips as her tone accelerated in alarm. "Oh god, what happened? Is he oka-?!" Her breath caught with the knowing twist of humour in Laxus' expression. "No…" She lowered her fingers with a broad smile. "Really?!"

.

"Yea, 'cause I didn't have enough trouble with him I guess they saw fit to add to my infinite migraine."

.

Neirah ground her teeth on her lower lip to retain the delighted squeal welling within her. "I bet Screwball's just wrung right out over this."

.

"Well, panic was an understatement." Laxus murmured softly. "But I mean it… you should come with me tomorrow." He encouraged softly. "They miss you at the guild…"

.

She smiled sadly and slowly turned to leave Alex's room. She paused in the doorway, leaning back to purse her lips and gently blow a breath of the sky dragon into the air; the effects rippling silently through the room until the candle on the other side of it flickered out. "Maybe some other time…" She started slowly, pushing some loose strands of hair back behind her ear as she stepped into their bedroom. "Alex hasn't slept much tonight since he woke from his nightmares so I think I'll ju-" She caught her breath with the demanding weight of Laxus' embrace falling sternly around her, halting her advance into the room.

.

"You can try to keep this from Alex," He started slowly, reaching behind her to tug on the ribbon binding her braid. "But it's not healthy to try and hide it from yourself." He tipped his lips to her temple as his fingers started to unbind her braid. "And you can't hide it from me."

.

"Laxus…" She whimpered breathlessly, her fingers trembling as she laid them against his chest. "What are you doing?"

.

"Maybe I'm feelin' just a little nostalgic too." He suggested headily, his fingertips raking out the waves left behind the final links of her braid. "We used to be a team, Neirah… I miss having you by my side…" He admitted grimly, his fingertips massaging languid circles against her scalp. "And I can understand the decisions you've made, but I can't make myself accept them." Her breath caught as he slid one of her nightgown straps over her shoulder to expose the same flush in her cheeks colouring the dark flesh beneath the golden wings of her Fairy Tail guild mark. "You're still a Fairy Tail wizard."

.

"Laxus… Alex-?" She encouraged from behind harsh, unsteady breaths, her fingers making delicate fists in his shirt.

.

"Has Lucky…" He finished curtly, sliding his fingers down her side and over her hips until he could draw her tight to his chest. "And I'd bet everything on that being all he needs."

.

Neirah couldn't deny the giddy smile that found her lips when his fingers spread beneath her and he forced her toes to part with the ground. She let her arms drop around his neck, her fingers slipping into his hair as she wrapped her legs around his hips; watching his coat fall to the floor behind him. She let a stifled laugh escape her as she fell back against their sheets, her cascading auburn locks splaying wildly across the bed beneath her. She squirmed anxiously as he raked his shirt over his head and threw it absently onto the floor at his side and after a moment of silent admiration, she slid her fingers softly over the raised edges of the scar crossing his chest. "We worked so hard to find peace, why do you have to challenge that?" She teased softly, memories of their battles surfacing in her tired mind.

.

"Maybe I'm just restless…" He rumbled softly against her throat, his teeth anxiously tasting her pulse as it raced within her.

.

"Is that what we're calling this?" She offered through a weakening haze of euphoria. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as her last fleeting gaze spied a sinisterly wicked twist in his lips, and an overwhelming flood of memories crashed through her of their youth.

.

"Do you think I can still make your brother blush from here?"

.

"You can try, but I won't make it easy for you, Sparky." She whispered in dark promise against his ear.

.

"You never did…" He crooned affectionately. "But it never stopped me before… and it won't stop me now."

.

"Remind me of why it was so hard to stay away from you…"

.

"I intend to…"


	5. Flicker

**Flicker**

* * *

 **.**

.

Lucy looked out over the brightly coloured guild hall, dusting confetti and streamers from her hair as they rained down on, possibly, the most celebrity two-year old she had ever seen. Alex Dreyar had just turned two years old in the year X794, and of course, on top of being the first child introduced to the guild after the war, his Wizard Saint Mommy and Daddy weren't going to get away with a small party. No, between banners and birthday hats, Lucy was also dodging snap attacks from her ex-co-worker, Jason, as he skirted around the guild like he'd eaten way too much birthday cake.

.

Even their old guild master Makarov had come for his great grandson's birthday. He visited every year to hold the happy child and tease his grandson about all the horror stories he'd heard about Laxus taking over after his retirement. She had to smile to watch him clown about. She honestly thought that Laxus was doing a pretty good job. She had to admit that the notorious lightning dragon probably had a few more lines on his face and a few grey hairs for the effort, but he took his responsibilities in stride.

.

She was quickly reminded how he managed when she watched Neirah swoop in from the side to steal a kiss from her grandfather-in-law. As soon as the old man turned the assaulted cheek in delight, Neirah was ushering her husband towards safety. If Lucy had to admit, watching their teamwork grow with their family made her heart flutter. It reminded her that lovers could be best friends. It gave her hope that maybe, one day, best friends could be lovers.

.

It was nice to see the master back within the walls of Fairy Tail. He'd been so adventurous over the past couple years that she'd almost forgotten what it was like in the old days that she still called him Master. When he did return, it always reminded her of that time. But the troubling reality of her remembering those days was that they were in the past. It was a constant reminder that things were changing, and time was ticking on.

.

Just as her thoughts started to wander guiltlessly, they were detouring to the rushing of a camera-blind Jason. The blonde was so busy glueing his eyes to the festivities in an attempt to capture the picture-perfect moment Alex blew out his candles that he staggered right into Lucy and nearly ruined her teal party dress with the slosh of ruby punch. "Jason! Watch where you're going!"

.

"Whoops-!"

.

Lucy immediately felt the reassurance of pressure beneath both her underarms, steadying her so that she was able to save her drink from tipping.

.

"Don't worry, I got ya, Luce."

.

Lucy straightened with an impatient sigh. "Yeah, thanks, Natsu." She turned her hot gaze back to where she glared at a screeching Jason and prepared to trounce over the colourful floor in order to bop him one. "Although, I kinda wish you had of let him tip me," she instigated. "It would give me an excuse to thrash him after he posted that immodest shot of me at my book signing in last week's Sorcerer!"

.

Natsu snickered in high spirits. "Are you still put out over that? Come on, it wasn't that bad!" Natsu's expression grew wicked as it cracked to the side to the snap of her palm.

.

"Perv! I'm trying to go for a more mature look at these kinds of events! I don't need that kinda publicity!"

.

"Well, I guess that's just what happens when you're famous."

.

Lucy's demeanour warmed as Natsu flashed back that beautifully ignorant smile. It was something she'd learned most of the first-generation dragon slayers had. They were raised differently, detached from the world she knew. Sure, they'd adapted, but there were just some things they might never understand. It was a beautiful, blissful ignorance that kept them strong when others would crack, keep them happy when others might have hurt. Natsu, Neirah, Gajeel and Wendy, she'd seen it in all of them. She saw it more as they started to mature. They all had their own awkwardly charming ways to deal with it.

.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she dismissed.

.

Natsu gave a breathy chuckle before raising his flaming hands to the side of his mouth in the dimming guild hall. "Yo, Alex! If you're not gonna eat those flames, wanna share one with your uncle Natsu!?"

.

The entire guild was a hum with laughter as Laxus gave him a stern glare of warning. "If my kid ends up sick because of your lame suggestions-"

.

" _HAPPY_ birthday to you~!" Neirah started, strategically, as always.

.

Lucy's warm smile grew until she was beaming through the song that rang through Fairy Tail's halls. She sang along in celebration, but her sparkling chocolate gaze still roamed the guild hall. The guild had started to grow and thrive again under Laxus' careful wing until the halls were bursting with familiar faces. She was almost jealous of the boy drawing a deep breath. He would never want for anything, especially love from his devoted parents.

.

"That's it, kid, now let yer uncle hear ya roar!"

.

Lucy burst into laughter as Gajeel encouraged his nephew to let out the most pathetically shrill attempt at a roar. It made it hard to believe he had a dragon in his blood. Regardless of his failed attempt and the choir of laughter ringing in delight along with the applause, Neirah couldn't be any prouder a momma dragon.

.

"Better than last year!" Gajeel hollered over his proud thumbs-up. "Not bad, kid!"

.

Lucy was overcome with memories as she watched Gajeel nudge Laxus with a look of challenge in his eyes. The two bickered a bit before entertained smiles were on both faces. She couldn't believe how close they'd become, not when she considered events to transpire in the not-so-distant past.

.

"Uh oh," Natsu mused over a mouthful of pork. "You got that look, Luce."

.

"H-huh? Oh…" She turned with a meek smile and rubbed at her cheeks. "Yeah, I guess it's pretty obvious that nostalgia's catching up with me."

.

"I don't get it," Natsu droned with a heavy swallow. "What's to be nostalgic about? Oh, well I guess it's kinda good to have gramps back, but other than that, it's all still the same."

.

'Dummy,' she restrained with a smile. "I thought dragon slayers were supposed to have super senses?" Lucy teased. "I mean, Alex is turning two years old today. That means Laxus and Neirah survived two whole years of marriage. I can remember when they weren't capable of standing in the same room without becoming violent."

.

"They weren't _that_ bad," Natsu defended over his mouthful of cake.

.

"Natsu, Gajeel was collecting bets up until their wedding day on how long it would take for Neirah to kill him," she justified. "And ever since, Cana has been saying that they're only staying together for their son." Lucy turned and watched Laxus hoist his boy onto his shoulders before drawing his wife's brow to his lips for a gentle kiss. Her cheeks warmed over her tender smile. "I don't need super senses to see that there's way too much love in this guild to contain."

.

"Yeah, but that's different. Shads has always been weird like that. She'd have ta be to settle down with a guy like Laxus."

.

Lucy rolled her eyes before shoving a face-stuffing Natsu to the other side to observe where Gajeel helped his very round wife down the stairs. "Ok well if Daddy Dreyar marrying a dragon isn't freaky enough, let's present mister and missus Redfox, who is gonna pop any day, for the record.

.

"So?" Natsu instigated. He choked down his mouthful of incompatible tastes and cocked a brow her way. "Levy was totally into him for a long time and she was a ball before they even got hitched?"

.

Lucy puffed her cheeks out, took his face between her hands and cranked it to where Juvia was comparing engagement stones with Evergreen in a war of keeping up with the faeries. "Alright then try this one on for size!" She demanded. "Let's ignore the love hate, and inconceivable size ratio of the Strauss'-to-be and focus on the fact that Juvia is flashing an engagement ring that Gray got the nerve up to give her last week."

.

Natsu spat out a mouthful of cake in alarm. "What the heck?! Gray's tying knots?! HOLY CRAP!"

.

"Wow." Lucy dropped her hands on her hips with a grim sigh. "Two guys that completely annihilated the guild are pushing strollers and Gray is the one that tips you over. Figures, you always gotta try and be better than him, huh?" Lucy caught her breath. She really didn't mean to insinuate such things, but it was just so comfortable, so casual, that it slipped. Her brow knotted when silence dragged between them. Their silences had been becoming more and more awkward for a while now. Maybe not for him, but for her. She watched as other women her age started to begin their forever's. Neirah and Laxus were older, it wasn't nearly as surprising that they had settled down, well, outside the fact that they were them. But when she considered Levy, married with one on the way, and even Juvia demanding that her rock was shinier, she felt a little, behind.

.

"Heh, I get it," Natsu crooned devilishly alongside her.

.

She jolted from her thoughts in a heart-racing terror that flushed her cheeks with guilt. "Wh- Get what?"

.

Natsu tilted his previously denied smile with an impish smirk. "You're totally jealous."

.

"Am not!" She demanded in a plume of humiliated smoke.

.

"Well, who wouldn't be?"

.

Lucy caught her breath as the sincere Natsu retracted his fangs and lingered on the sight of the couples around them.

.

"I'm not that blind," he snickered. "They're all really happy."

.

"Y-yea…" Lucy whimpered appreciatively. She followed Natsu's gaze, taking a step towards him as they watched Alex tear into his mountain of gifts from his mother's knee, under his father's careful watch. "It's just… there's something about the way he looks at her… the way she smiles back at him. If I had to be honest, Gajeel and Levy are in a similar situation in a lot of ways. Those boys look at their women like they're the whole world. They're just… so proud of them."

.

"I knew things were gonna be different as soon as we got back. Nobody wants to throw down anymore. Not even the walking popsicle. He's all melted up since he and Juvia started hanging out more."

.

"Love'll do that to a guy," Lucy snickered. "And I thought Neirah had Laxus on a tight leash. Gray is the epitome of 'whipped'." She turned and looked back at a doting Gajeel. He paid careful mind to every move his wife made, making sure each effort was comfortable. "And then there's Gajeel, shaken, not stirred." She laughed. "Laxus was a nervous daddy-to-be, but Gajeel's just plain unnecessary."

.

"Really, I mean, he could just roll her around."

.

"Natsu!"

.

"Kidding!" Natsu beamed in encouragement. "Yeah, I can see stuff getting weird. But it's cool with me. We worked pretty hard to get here, ya know? I'm glad that everyone's enjoying it."

.

Lucy smiled as the two watched the crowds pass from each other's side. "Yeah… It seems like just yesterday that two dragons were clashing over Magnolia. It's harder to believe that one of those dragons is one of the happy smiles among us."

.

"Yep."

.

Lucy got squirmy as the silence dragged on. It seemed like yesterday when she had first met Natsu in the port town of Hargeon. But it wasn't. It was over a decade ago. Granted they wasted seven years of that time in a comatose state, he was still by her side. Just like he was in that moment; always there to keep her grounded. "Ok, I guess you're right," she whispered through a kind smile. "Maybe I am a little jealous." She turned her gaze to where he was a little more sombre in demeanour. He had mentioned that anyone would be jealous of the happiness they were observing and she turned to face him, hopeful that he might be dropping the subtlest of hints himself. "What… what about you?"

.

Natsu turned and looked at her inquisitively. "Me?"

.

"Yeah, are you… y'know… even a little jealous that all your friends are starting to settle down?"

.

"Nah."

.

Lucy nearly tipped over with his detachment towards her casual prying.

.

"Why would I be jealous when I've got you."

.

Lucy sobered real fast as she snapped upright and drew to attention.

.

"Well, you and Happy, of course."

.

"Me and Happy…"

.

Natsu looked down into his drink and watched it swish in the cup as he leaned lazily against one of the many tables heaped with food and party provisions. He had a lazy, unconcerned smile on his face. "Well, yeah, I mean, I don't have to be jealous of how happy they are. I've got my own happiness."

.

"Your own… happiness…"

.

"Sure do," he beamed. "Besides…" He looked back to where Laxus and Neirah were showering their son with affection like no one was watching. "I guess it's hard for me to think about being a dad. Like, the only father figure I really had was a dragon. I wouldn't know the first thing about raising a kid, and I don't need one to be happy. Not with you guys around!"

.

Lucy smiled through her humble embarrassment for his naivety. "True, but Gajeel and Neirah were also raised by dragons."

.

"Yeah, but Gajeel and Shads have Levy and Laxus to fall back on."

.

Lucy snorted in amusement. "Oh? And you thought that a baby would just magically appear in front of you and you'd have no one to fall back on?"

.

"I have you?"

.

Lucy spat out her drink before she could swallow. "Oh boy, Natsu? Do you need _the talk_?"

.

Natsu snickered to think of Neirah's talk and how it had scarred her for life. "Nah, I'm good," he purred. "I'm not saying it won't happen for me, but I'm just not jealous is all. I have my happiness. Now we just need to find you yours and we'll be all set!"

.

Lucy's lower lip pouted beneath her smile and started to tremble. It was so nice to have a semi-intimate conversation with him. "Where is Happy anyways?"

.

"He had something he made for Alex and wanted to give it to him personally." Natsu smiled and watched the awkward exceed approach the toddler. "Turns out he really loves kids."

.

"Well he'd have to to hang out with you all these years," she teased. Lucy gave him a playful nudge in the ribs.

.

Natsu laughed enthusiastically. "So, then you must love them too."

.

Lucy shuddered, caught with her foot in her mouth again.

.

"Cause apparently you've been hanging out with one for a while yourself!" Natsu narrowly looked back at her over his delighted beam. "I think you'd make an awesome mom, Luce."

.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh along with him for a moment, and for that moment, she wasn't jealous anymore. "Maybe you're right," she muttered gently. "Well, I guess we'll see; if it ever happens for me." She caught her breath when Natsu reached out and took her hand. It wasn't an unusual gesture for him to demand her attention in such a way, but the way he let his fingers loosely intertwine with hers that day had a flicker of hope in her heart. And to top it all off, the way he looked back at her had her feeling weak. He was beaming with pride.

.

"Hey, Luce? I was wondering if you maybe wanted to take a trip with me."

.

"Oh? You've got your eye on a job that needs a busty blonde maid? 'Cause I'm sorry, buddy, but that ship has sailed," she teased.

.

"Actually, it's not really a work thing." Natsu smiled awkwardly and gave his nape a sheepish rub. "All this talk about the way things were, I'm kinda feeling nostalgic too." His next smile was almost nervous as he raised his gaze to hers. "I thought, maybe we could just take a trip, you, me and Happy; combine the good now with the good then. Maybe we could take a trip to that old diner in Hargeon if it's still around… Maybe spend some time looking for your happiness so you don't have to be jealous anymore."

.

Lucy didn't wipe at the grateful tears she felt bubble in her eyes as one tickled her rosy cheek and she slowly intertwined her own fingers with his effort. "I… I don't think we'll be looking very hard."

.

It wasn't happily-ever-after, but it was a start.


	6. A Day in the Life of Dreyar ((ML))

**_A Day in the Life of Dreyar_**

.

.

"What's my story again?"

.

Neirah heaved a heavy sigh and stopped their progression at the guild entrance. "Just a boring old guild master's convention," she reminded him. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a bunch of washed up wizards drinking, smoking and waiting to die."

.

"Coming from a woman who still can't walk straight," he snorted bitterly. "I am _not_ washed up."

.

"Your words, not mine, sweetie." Neirah straightened his tie and gave it an encouraging tug to initiate a gentle kiss. "Mn, daddy, remember to keep this on when we get home." She curled around the side of his face and gently nibbled his earlobe, lowering her voice to a seductive whisper. "That and nothing else…"

.

Laxus smiled wickedly into their kiss when she returned it to his lips. "Yes ma'am," he growled in approval.

.

The couple froze, silencing their intimate giggles when they caught the attention of Erza lingering nearby, pale and gawping at the spectacle with a traumatised sky dragon slayer close by her side.

.

Neirah cleared her throat and smoothed her palms over her husband's dress shirt like she was banishing wrinkles. "There we go, all straightened. You should really ease off the liquor when you meet with the other masters."

.

Laxus shot her a bitter side glance as she dodged her involvement in the spectacle.

.

"Uhm, Neirah? I hate to blow your cover, but the master doesn't smell like liquor at all." Wendy smiled sweetly and bit her tongue so not to offer her surprise for her stated truth.

.

Neirah stilled, her vacantly plain smile trembling and cheek temperature rising about a hundred degrees as the pair passed.

.

"A dragon slayer's nose really is incredible."

.

"Thanks, Erza!"

.

Laxus rolled his lazy gaze slowly towards his guilty wife. "Are you serious? How did you not catch that before she did?"

.

"Don't patronise me!"

.

"Did I really overdo it?"

.

"Shut up! Why can't she just go back to being twelve, damn it…"

.

"Please, this isn't X792. Did you forget we're _married_ now?" He scoffed lightly and trailed her into the guild. "I can plant one on my wife in front of whoever I damn well please. It's not like we have to sneak around and pretend we hate each other anymore."

.

Neirah entered the bustling hall and immediately swung to face him, teeth barred for the impending conflict. "Oh yea? Well, maybe I'm a little nostalgic."

.

"Nostalgic? We walk into this hall all the time." He smiled knowingly and pressed his lips to her ear from behind her. "But that's a pretty guilty look for someone who's just _nostalgic_."

.

"Hey! The master's back!" Romeo hollered in excitement.

.

Neirah smiled as greetings filled her ears, guild members new and old rushing to greet her husband. 'How could this possibly be nostalgic?' She smiled and watched Laxus take in the progress Romeo was spewing in fragments, obviously proud of his latest achievements. 'I remember a day when the guild would go graveyard just to see him walk through the doors.' She smiled sadly and scanned the guild. 'Or a certain flame wizard would leap out of nowhere with a celestial mage begging him to stop…' She sighed dismally and followed her husband as he approached the bar, more than likely trading his soul for something to eat.

.

Laxus turned and overlooked the guild, trying not to let panic rise in his features. "Hey Mira, I don't suppose you've seen my son hangin' out here lately, have you?"

.

Mirajane giggled whimsically and set a freshly dried mug on one of the shelves behind Fairy Tail's most glamorous bar yet. "It's kind of cute how much you worry about your son. I'm proud of you Laxus, you're really taking being a father seriously."

.

Laxus huffed out a sigh of defeat and dropped his head. "Yea, yea, everyone gets a kick out of daddy Dreyar. Have you seen the little hellion? You of all people should understand my concern when you look at the makeup of his blood."

.

"Oh you two weren't that bad," she crooned whimsically. "There was always someone around to keep you in line."

.

Laxus' gaze shifted sceptically before it had returned to the guild. 'Yea, each other…'

.

To this, Mira giggled. He really was a worrisome father. "Gajeel and Levy took Alex and Lilian for a walk not too long ago. They were getting restless waiting for you to come back." Mira shifted her gaze perceptively towards him. "You're a little… late."

.

Neirah joined their company with a supportive smile. "Sorry, Mira. Daddy was dragging his feet. Long day, I suppose."

.

Mira smiled sweetly and moved to enter the kitchen. "I bet." Laxus' gaze immediately shot towards her from under his brow, his distrust festering as he perceived a passive-aggressive tone filling Mira's singsongy voice for the first time in years. "But I do suppose it doesn't help when you have to walk all the way there and back."

.

Laxus' expression dropped just thinking about transportation.

.

Mirajane poured some hot water into a teacup in front of Neirah and let her dear friend bob the teabag a couple of times to colour it beneath the fresh stream. "Speaking of dragging your feet, could you drag them over here and help me reach something in the kitchen, _Master_?"

.

Laxus looked at Mira suspiciously before obliging her. Definitely passive-aggressive. Mira had a way with honeying venom in a similar fashion to his wife. A dangerous thought _without_ being separated in a kitchen alone with her and sharp objects.

.

Mirajane smiled towards Neirah as she ushered Laxus into the kitchen. "Don't worry! I'll bring him right back!" Mira crooned affectionately.

.

Neirah displayed her palms in surrender. "By all means, take your time," she cooed trustingly. "Just don't burn his bacon."

.

"Hmn?"

.

Neirah fluttered her folded fingers bashfully. "Oh, nothing…"

.

Neirah took a seat at the bar and folded one leg over her opposing knee, looking out over the bustling hall. Moments later, she heard some fumbling, and then a couple crashes. Not long after, Mira's commanding Satan's soul voice was seeping into her dragon slayer senses through the kitchen door.

.

"Mira?! What the hel-?!"

.

" _Sneaking around_ , Laxus?! How could you?!"

.

"What are you talking abo-?!"

.

"You will speak when spoken to! What is this about!? The guild? Your marriage?! I looked into the so-called conference you were attending and no such order was issued!"

.

"Crap, ok hold on!"

.

"If I find out you're running around on your wife, so help me, Laxus! You have a _son_!"

.

"It's not like th-!"

.

More crashing.

.

Neirah turned and casually sipped on the green tea provided to her on entry. She almost worried when the room went so silent on the other side of the door, but shortly after, her husband was exiting the room and adjusting his tie all over. He took a quiet seat next to his wife as she elegantly sipped her tea. From the other side of the kitchen door, Mira's angelic humming resumed.

.

"So, Mira knows." Neirah crooned quietly.

.

Laxus awkwardly cleared his throat. "Yeap."

.

"Whoa, buddy! Long time no see!" Bickslow teased, dropping his palm solidly on Laxus' shoulder. "How was your big bad conference, _Master_?"

.

"Uneventful." Laxus quipped back casually, wanting to be forced to divulge as few false details as possible.

.

Mira smiled and danced behind the bar with lunch in her hands. "There hasn't been much action here for the past couple of years since Natsu and Lucy left." Mira's smile became solemn alongside her guild master's. "It's been a while. I really hope they're ok…"

.

"It is rather strange that nothing has become of them in the news," Freed announced sceptically. "Wherever Natsu goes, a trail of destruction is sure to follow."

.

"Well, maybe he's matured," Neirah defended over the brim of her tea cup.

.

Silence filled their company for a long moment before laughter burst from the crowd and startled her to the point of her cup rattling in surprise against it's leaping saucer between her fingertips.

.

"Yea right," Bickslow crooned. "Good one, Nei."

.

"Relax," Laxus rumbled, trying not make it look obvious he was guarding his plate like a starved dog defending its first meal in months. "I'm sure wherever he is, Natsu's fine."

.

"Wow, Laxus, hungry?" Bickslow teased, patting his master's shoulder behind his pale expression. "Just kiddin', I'm sure your woman feeds you."

.

Freed, taking advantage of Bickslow's maniacal ruckus, leant towards Neirah in a shady manner, his gaze shifting alertly to make sure prying ears weren't within a distance of picking up his inquiry. "Actually Neirah, I have been meaning to ask you for that book. Is it possible I could borrow it?"

.

The colour drained from Neirah's face, her right cheek bouncing beneath a wide-eyed gaze. "Uh, erm, b-book? What book?"

.

"You know," he insisted. "The one you and Levy-"

.

Neirah drew back balled fists and slammed them on the bar top. "I SWEAR TO INFINITY, FREED, NOT HERE!"

.

Freed and Bickslow blinked back at their friend uncertainly.

.

"So… when can I-"

.

"NEVER!" Neirah wailed.

.

Freed scurried back towards where Bickslow had hovered near Laxus, both considering using him as a shield against the feisty infinity slayer. "Dude," Bickslow chimed. "It's been a while since I've seen her that crazy."

.

"You don't live with her," Laxus announced humbly behind a mouthful of lunch.

.

Bickslow watched as Neirah took repeatedly rapid sips of her tea, her colour bright and rosy behind a feigned relaxed expression. "What'd ya say to put her on edge like that?"

.

Freed shrugged. "She, Levy and I are amassing an Alra'Bekthian source in hopes to resurrect the language of demons for historians who have previously been unable to make the translations of their findings," he sighed. "We were meant to keep the project secret, but I didn't know I would receive that kind of reaction for wanting to review the progress."

.

Neirah watched Bickslow and Freed make their exit before her apprehensive gaze fell on her husband. "He can see souls, not read minds, right?"

.

"What have we learned?" Laxus rumbled edgily, having yet to rise from his plate.

.

"Keep it up, daddy," Neirah challenged.

.

"Daddy! You're back!"

.

Laxus tipped his gaze to where Gajeel and Levy had returned with his son, Lilian in Levy's arms lapping at a strawberry ice cream cone.

.

"I missed you!" Alex quickly padded heavy-footed through the guild in Velcro lightning bolt runners, beaming from ear to ear as he opened his arms for his father.

.

Laxus smiled and put his arms around his boy, hoisting the energetic toddler into his lap. "I was gone half a day," Laxus murmured through his fond smile.

.

"That's a long time! Like the very longest!"

.

Neirah laughed and swept Alex's auburn bangs out of his face before leaning over top of him and placing a hard kiss on his brow. "Half a day is a long time to be without daddy, isn't it?"

.

Neirah heaved a heavy sigh as she caught the sticky sight of melting ice cream on her son's beaming face and in his tiny hands. She turned her exasperated gaze to Gajeel. "Ice cream, really?"

.

"What? I'm the cool uncle!" Gajeel demanded, definitely not sporting chocolate cone marks on his own face.

.

"You're his _only_ uncle," Neirah barked.

.

"Sorry Shads," Levy mewled weakly. "I didn't know you had already planned to take him out. When he figured out his father was running a little late he started to get restless."

.

"He's his dad's kid alright," Gajeel growled playfully. "Can throw a tantrum with the best of 'em."

.

Neirah stuck her finger in her big brother's face. "Stop being a bad influence on my son."

.

"Hey! I ain't!"

.

"Well, you did tell him that hitting something would make him feel better," Levy scolded.

.

"Is that what this is about?" Laxus rumbled, holding Alex's sticky bandaged paw out towards them.

.

"Look, I haven't done the boy thing. I figured if he got any of his parents in 'im he could take it," he snorted derisively. "I have a little lady on my hands who doesn't need to throw a fit to get what she wants." His tone immediately switched to an awkwardly terrifying form of raspy baby talk. "Isn't that right? Who's daddy's little princess?"

.

Neirah drove her hand into her face with a defeated sigh as Lily started to hum and coo in her mother's arms. "You practically raised me for crying out loud and I threw tantrums with the best of them." Neirah's gaze humbled with her thoughts. "Come to think of it, you told me to punch something too."

.

"It's like this _all_ the time," Pantherlily grumbled dismally. "He thinks it's cute."

.

Neirah rolled her eyes and returned to where her husband was sitting at the bar with a chatty Alex in his lap. "Laxus?"

.

"Hmn?"

.

"While we're here, did you want to try and catch up on the morning's paperwork while Alex and I take out our anger on our _cool_ uncle Gajeel?"

.

"Oi!"

.

"YEAHHH!

.

"Actually, if you two just wanted to call the day, there hasn't been much action around here," Mira sang. "I've logged all the requests already and kept track of who's out on what. Anything else can wait."

.

Neirah laid her lips on her son's head and smiled lovingly into his mane. "Did you hear that Alex? Who wants to go to the beach?!"

.

Alex's sapphire gaze lit up excitedly as he looked back at his father. "Really?! Daddy, can we?!"

.

Laxus closed his eyes and smiled his surrender. "Well, we do have ice cream to one-up."

.

"Oi!"

.

"Thank you, daddy!" Alex crooned, giving him a sticky hug.

.

"Yes, thank you, daddy!" Neirah mirrored, placing a gentle kiss on Laxus' cheek.

.

"Icky! Mommy, stop!" Alex demanded, shielding his eyes from his parent's affections.

.

Neirah immediately turned to glare at her brother. "I suppose I have you to thank for this too?"

.

Gajeel threw his arms up in defence. "Uhn uh! I don't have a damn clue where that's comin' from, but I always knew I liked that kid! Gihi- ow!" He turned and pouted as Levy glowered at him and struck him upside the head, Lily giggling with a mouthful of strawberry.

.

"Alright, Alex," Neirah mused. "Let's go home and get our swimsuits!"

.

"I wanna ride on, daddy!" Alex brayed, holding his arms up to be hoisted away by his father.

Laxus leant down and scooped the boy up, settling him on his shoulders against the back of his neck. "And what do you say to uncle Gajeel?" Neirah encouraged.

.

Alex thrust his ice cream cone out towards Gajeel and Levy with an elated smile. "Thank you for ice cream!"

.

"That's my boy," Laxus rumbled proudly. "Careful not to drop it."

.

"Ok, daddy!"

.

* * *

.

The sun was bright and hot on the white sand as Neirah laid beneath it on a colourful towel. After three years of working to get her beach body back, she was ready to display it and showed no aversions to being seen in her elegant white two-piece. She loved how the colour looked against her tanned skin. With her hair bound behind her and sunglasses on, she was ready to soak in at least a couple hours before their son got tuckered out and asked to go home.

.

Neirah shifted her gaze to one side noticing that the man sitting next to her was being particularly conservative. She rolled over onto her tummy against her beach towel and lightly pawed at her husband's back. "Laxus, I healed your cuts, you know. You can take off your shirt."

.

He rolled his sluggish gaze to one side with a dismissive scoff, removing his palm from where it had supported his chin. "Tsk, sor-ry for being cautious." He muttered, sliding his shirt over his head with an exasperated grunt. "I'm watching my three-year-old build sand castles. The last thing I want on my mind is my crazy wife and her bedroom games."

.

"Mn kinda kills the mood doesn't it," she purred. She sat up and rested her head against his shoulder, smiling as she joined him in watching their beaming son play by the water.

.

"It just… went by really fast."

.

Neirah leant forwards and placed a delicate kiss on his cheek. "Oh Laxus, it's not like he's old enough to move out and start a life of his own. He still needs his daddy to look out for him." Neirah laughed as Alex's father looked out over the beach like he was overlooking his son's wedding day. "You can brood over the silliest little things," she teased lovingly.

.

"I'm just gonna miss it," Laxus admitted humbly. "For once in my life, I feel like I don't have to prove a damn thing. Everything I say and do in his eyes is right."

.

"What do you expect? His father is his hero."

.

"At first, I was worried about screwin' things up." He looked back at his son hopefully, a vision of his mother dancing in the rolling tide as it beat the sandy beach. "Now I realise that when you do things right, everyone wins."

.

Neirah smiled blissfully and wrapped herself around his arm, clutching him affectionately to her breast. "I really do fall harder for you every day," she mused proudly. "Hearing you talk like that makes my mommy senses tingle."

.

Laxus cocked a brow and spared her a suggestive side glance. "What are the chances I can talk another one right into our life?"

.

She leant into him and gently pecked his lips. "Mn, slim to none, prince," she teased. "You know the deal."

.

He groaned rather bleakly. "Yea, but I'd like to be at least a little sane when the time comes…"

.

"Beggars can't be choosers," she chimed, climbing to her feet and slipping out of his reach. She bounced a couple steps towards their son who approached the waves. Then she turned to face him with a delighted smile. "Come swim with us, daddy!"

.

Laxus shook his head, not overly enthused with the invitation, but despite that, he languidly crawled to his feet. His family made him smile, and if nothing else, he'd move heaven and earth to see the favour reciprocated.

.

"Mommy! Mommy look! I made a castle!"

.

Neirah scooped her boy up in her arms and nuzzled her nose into his. "You sure did! And it's beautiful! When can we move in!?"

.

Alex giggled frantically as he squirmed in her arms. "Mommy's silly! Daddy can't fit!"

.

Neirah wrinkled her nose before tickling her son's neck with it. "And you think your mother will? Are _you_ calling your mother _little_?!"

.

"Momma! Stawp!" Alex sniggered hysterically, little hands desperate to shield him from her kisses.

.

"You really are your father's son," she mused proudly, setting him back in the sand. Alex gave a startled shriek and started to run towards the waves to escape his mother's affectionate display.

.

"No WAYYY! What a rare sighting! Mother Neirah in her natural habitat! So COOOOL!"

.

Neirah's whole body stiffened before she mechanically turned to face an in-your-face reporter who had lasted way too long in his industry.

.

"Over here!" Jason demanded, circling her in a wash of blinding flashes. "I can't remember the last time Sorcerer featured a bikini shot of the kingdoms last dra-"

.

Laxus' expression was grizzled with impatience as he raised Jason up out of the sand by his backpack strap. "It's also been a while since Fairy Tail's controversial new guild master was in your bad books," he growled. "If you want to keep it that way, I suggest you take a long walk off a short pier."

.

"Coool!" Jason raved, snapping a couple shots of Laxus despite being hoisted from solid ground.

.

"Yeesh, why don't you just take him out and drop him off it?" Neirah groaned. "Jason, we're kind of trying to have some family time here. We don't need you documenting the entire afternoon."

.

"I can be quiet!" Jason reasoned, squirming out of Laxus' grip and leaping behind a beach ball. "You won't even know I'm here!"

.

"Momma! Look! I found a seashell!"

.

Neirah closed her eyes, her expression dropping grievously as she walked away from the enthusiastic reporter. "Laxus?"

.

"Right."

.

The beach lit up with golden sparks that caused a sooty Jason to demand that they were way too cool. Dismissing him left the young family to spend the rest of their day unhindered by his nagging presence.

.

* * *

.

"Good night, daddy."

.

Laxus smiled down on the lump beneath Alex's navy astral comforter as it barely spoke the exhausted words loud enough for him to hear. "Good night, Alex…"

.

"I love you."

.

His smile broadened as he got cheeky with his youth. "You love your mother too, don't you?" He teased. "Maybe we tell your mom you love her too?"

.

"L…love her… too…"

.

Laxus slowly closed the door behind their tuckered-out tyke and hoped that Neirah's sharp senses could hear his gentle coos from their bedroom at the end of the hall. He entered their room to the smell of vanilla and sandalwood. If just for the night, he had his wife back.

.

"I hope you heard your son," he mused to the woman fussing in her dresser. He folded his arms across his body and gripped at the edges of his shirt, peeling the sand and ice cream logged mess from his chest. "He tried."

.

Neirah brushed by her husband and placed a delicate kiss on his cheek. "I heard," she mused gently. "And as much as I love daddy Laxus, I don't need his chest tasting like my three-year-old's sticky fingers."

.

He cocked a brow with impish intent. "That implies you're gonna be kissing it."

.

Neirah's smile remained gentle but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes as she leant her freshly showered body into him, looked up, and placed a gentle kiss on his chin. "I don't taste with my kisses, prince," she assured him seductively.

.

He groaned his anticipation and tipped his lips into her gentle peck. "I thought I had my wife for the rest of the night?" He rumbled sceptically. "Should I be worried that you're lighting a bunch of candles?"

.

"Mn, liked that, did you?" She purred affectionately, twirling herself under the lazy hold she had on his fingers. "No, I did say that. I promise I'll be gentle with you until dawn."

.

She twirled away from him, her satin nighty swaying around her hips. He allowed himself a peek at what was underneath and was pleased to see that nothing was confined.

.

Neirah tipped her weighted gaze over her shoulder with a smug little grin. "You want to do baby-making things to me, don't you, daddy?"

.

Laxus groaned and flopped a clean towel onto his shoulder. "Silence, woman…" His irritated growl was met with triumphant coos at his back that only made his body ache more feverishly.

.

* * *

.

After his shower, Laxus strode down the hall towards his bedroom with a towel secured around his hips. They may have put their son to bed at seven, but with how trying his morning was topped with the sun he'd soaked up during their beach date, he didn't know if he would last much longer than his boy. He growled defiantly to himself with the very thought. 'Pros and cons of fatherhood, I guess.'

.

The hand he'd rubbed against the damp roots at his nape paused as he raised his gaze to one of his ties wrapped around the door handle of their room. He eyed it with intrigue for a moment before reaching out and slipping the silk from the knob. 'Pros and cons of marrying a freaking psychopath…'

.

He slowly palmed the door open to see her waiting for him, sprawled diagonally across the bed. He held the tie out in his second hand, giving her a wry look of disbelief. "Do you honestly think our three-year-old is gonna get this?"

.

Neirah giggled whimsically and rolled onto her back, giving the hem of her nighty a playful twist. "I wasn't _marking_ the door," she assured him musically. "Remember what I told you back at the guild?"

.

He cocked a brow in amusement. "Seriously? You can't save this for one of those kinky bedroom adventures of yours?"

.

Neirah crawled up on her knees to meet his approach. "You say that like you don't enjoy my little games."

.

He smiled down at her and let the silk of his tie pile up on her pouty expression. "You were hard on me today," he mused. "Save it for a time you want to leash your pet."

.

Neirah shook the material from her face and placed a gentle kiss on his bare abdomen as he stroked her tousled auburn locks, ends still damp from her own shower. "So, in other words, you want me to be the good wife," she purred.

.

"Could I be so bold?"

.

Neirah closed her eyes and smiled against his navel as she drew her hands to his hips and captured the ends of the towel tucked around his waist. "Could _I_?" Without waiting for his reply, she tugged his moderation free and left him naked in her midst.

.

His words quickly followed up her actions when he crawled onto the bed with her to the beckoning curl of her index finger. "Certainly…"


	7. Thanks, Mom ((ML))

_**Thanks, Mom**_

.

.

"Dad!"

.

Laxus' expression brightened as he diverted his attention from one of the guild wizards to the charge of the blue-eyed boy bounding through the hall. He tried to remain focused on the questions being directed his way, but he had to admit, with his sleep deprivation and the way his whole world lit up when his son acted so happy to see him, he was doing well to catch the cadences.

.

"Dad! Daaad! Look! Aunt Juvia let me colour! I drew a picture of-"

.

Soon, Laxus had a hard time carrying on his conversation at all. "Alex," he started sternly. Even though the disappointment in his son's expression hurt, he did his best not to crack. "When someone is talking before you interrupt, it is polite to…?"

.

Alex's eyes widened when he considered his folly and the boy quickly bowed his head to the party offended. "Patiently wait my turn. Sorry!"

.

"Ok, that was adorable…"

.

Laxus slowly shook his head as Alex lingered nearby, nearly vibrating with excitement. "Just see Mira. She knows the area as well as I do. She'll make the arrangements."

.

"Sure thing, Master. Hey? See ya later little buddy!"

.

Alex snickered delightedly when the unfamiliar young man ruffled his wild auburn mane. As soon as his father was alone, his beaming grin broadened and he spread his arms to either side. To this, Laxus rolled his eyes and took the boy into his arms, his gaze falling on the fluttering piece of paper flapping around in his boy's hands. "Alright, let's see what you've got."

.

"Yah!" Alex cheered. "See? Aunt Juvia let me colour! I drew us practising magic! I always wanted to learn magic! You'll teach me someday, won't you?"

.

"Of course." Laxus would be lying if he said his heart didn't swell with pride to see the sloppy stick representations of himself with his son scrawled over the paper. But he could tell two things for sure. He knew which one he was for the blonde squiggle on top with the lightning bolt squiggle just beneath, and he knew there were only two people in the drawing. "And where's your mother in the picture?"

.

Alex scratched his head in thought before smiling back at his father with another goofy grin. "Probably makin' dinner or something." He reached out and laid his little finger on the lines representing their house. "So, she's in here somewhere."

.

Laxus sighed as gently as he could, his own pride immediately fading to the exclusion of Neirah in the picture. Laxus was noticing a trend happening and he didn't like it. "Maybe your mother would like to… learn magic too someday."

.

"Nah," Alex whined. "She likes baking and stuff. She wouldn't like magic. Besides, she's too old to learn magic."

.

Laxus had jammed himself between a rock and a hard place. He hated that they were lying to their son, no matter the noble cause. In return, they were paying for it. As Alex got older, he was losing touch with his mother and Laxus just didn't know how to gently teach Alex a lesson he desperately needed to learn.

.

"Maybe in the next one, we can all be baking cookies. The three of us. _Together_."

.

Alex sniggered impishly as he squirmed around in his father's arms. "Ick. Boys don't bake cookies!"

.

"If your mother isn't in the next picture you draw, you'll have to bake your own."

.

Alex gasped with his subtle threat. "Momma wouldn't stop baking cookies!"

.

"It would suck if she did, wouldn't it?" Laxus smirked playfully as he slipped a cookie from in his pocket and fed it to the boy as a bribe. "She does make the best cookies in the world, doesn't she?"

.

"Yah!"

.

"So, let's try and include her next time, hm?"

.

"Ok, dad!"

.

Laxus' smile softened as he watched the boy purr behind a mouthful of cookie. "Alright, Mira, we're taking off."

.

"Sure thing, Master!" Mira giggled from where she was speaking with the man Laxus had sent her way, and of course, this didn't escape Alex's notice. His expression grew humbled as he peered over his father's shoulder, thoughtfully chewing his cookie.

.

"Wait… but dad, how come it's ok for you to interrupt people?"

.

"Hm? I didn't-"

.

Alex pointed back towards the bar. "I just saw. Miss Mira was talking to the same stranger you were and you interrupted."

.

Laxus was seriously second guessing their father-son day as he was thrown around in more circles. His wife was so much better at playing the intellectually psychological games. "Well, it's different when it's just a quick-"

.

"Why is it different?"

.

"Because you're not-"

.

Alex started to crawl around his father's neck with the completion of his cookie so Laxus helped to hoist the boy up on his shoulders. "Because why?" Alex complicated.

.

Laxus growled bitterly and stepped through the doors of the guild. "Because your old man's awesome and he can do whatever he wants and what he says goes."

.

Alex seemed to accept this logic, and in return, he threw both his arms up in a delighted cheer. "Yah! My dad is the coolest guild master ever!"

.

Laxus flashed a humble smile as he stepped into the streets of Magnolia and tried not to get too sentimental. "He's alright," he admitted humbly. "But not the best."

.

* * *

.

Laxus gave his nose a wrinkle before smearing the glob of ice cream off the tip with the back of his wrist. "Hey, watch the dripping there."

.

Alex giggled and slipped his tongue over the point of the cone to catch the drips. "Sorry, daddy. Hey, why did we leave? Are we going home early?"

.

"Nope," Laxus assured him swiftly. "I thought you and I could just hang out for a bit." A tender smile found Laxus' lips and he tried not to make it seem too obvious that he was scouting through town. "Thought maybe you could help your old man out with something."

.

"Ooo! What is it!?"

.

Laxus stepped into the park and took his boy from his shoulders to set him in the grass. "Well, you know how your mom's always doing nice things for us? Like baking us cookies?" Yes. Baking cookies.

.

"Uh huh."

.

"Well, I thought maybe we could do something nice for her, you know? Return the favour."

.

"Ick, you don't want to bake cookies, do you?"

.

"No, it's- uch… how to explain… We don't have to do the same things that she does. We can just give her something of equal value," he awkwardly explained. "Like… here." He knelt into the park and picked up a rock before giving it to the boy. "There, I just gave you something. Now you-"

.

"Whoa! Cool rock!"

.

Laxus was already too exhausted for this. "Focus, Champ. Your dad's beat and he really needs a hand being chivalrous."

.

"Shiv-al-"

.

"Not important, kiddo. What is, is that I gave you a cool rock, because I wanted to do something nice for you. Wouldn't it be nice to give me something in return?" Laxus' heart melted as Alex opened his arms to give him a big, sticky hug.

.

"Thanks, dad!"

.

Laxus sighed in defeat and hugged the boy back. As thoughtful as he was, he wasn't helping. "God you're killin' me here, pal," he muttered tenderly.

.

"So, you want to give mom something, for making awesome cookies?"

.

"Something like that, and I give her hugs all the time so that's not gonna cut it."

.

Alex took his father's side as the two started to walk through the park. "And you can't make her awesomer cookies…"

.

"Awesomer isn't a real word, Champ, and you know that if I touched the forbidden oven, the house would burn down."

.

"And then we'd have nowhere to live."

.

"Righto."

.

Alex knotted his brow as he licked at his ice cream, clearly deep in thought. Then, he offered his father his rock. "We could give her this?"

.

Laxus smiled down at him and ruffled his mop. "No, you keep that. I don't think your mom's really into rocks."

.

"So it has to be something she likes…" Alex hummed dramatically with his thoughts. "Mom doesn't really like a lot of things."

.

Laxus' brow creased thoughtfully. "I think she likes a lot of things. Me, your uncle, her bratty little son that sucks at helping his old man."

.

Alex shooed his hand away playfully. "Hey!"

.

"The problem is, I just… need to find something that's gonna make her really happy." Laxus sighed sadly. 'And even if I'm sure she loves a lot of things… I… don't know any of them.'

.

Alex started to crunch away at his cone. "But she's always really happy. Even when she's making cookies for us." Alex almost leapt out of his skin with revelation. "I know! We can get her the ingredients to make cookies!"

.

Laxus smiled sadly and gave him a pat as they crossed Southgate Park. "Strike two, Champ." The unfortunate part was that, in his innocence, Alex was on to something. Neirah took so much joy in the happiness of her husband and family that, from the outside, what she sacrificed to see them cared for didn't seem existent. The problem didn't necessarily lie in Laxus' inability to be romantic, but the fact that he didn't really know enough about his wife to put forth the effort.

.

A white flower was symbolic to them. He filled her entire hospital room with them when they finally ended Zade's calamity, but he never stopped to ask her what her favourite one was, or if she even liked the colour. She loved her sketchbook because she could fill it with drawings of others; the people who were special to her. She liked the rain but hated the thunder. He could recite the order in which she dressed or an alphabetical list of her ticks, but he couldn't come up with a sweet gesture to knock her off her feet… not like she could offer him.

.

The only thing he knew that delighted her beyond exception, was making the people around smile.

.

Laxus sighed in defeat.

.

"Dad?"

.

"Hm?"

.

"Mom always told me to remember my manners, please and thank you…" Laxus turned and looked at the boy who stopped and spread his palm for his dad to look at. He held the stone up for his dad to see. "I said thank you for my rock."

.

Laxus smiled proudly. "Yep. Good job."

.

"But, what I think is that thank you isn't good enough."

.

Laxus' brow creased with his son's insinuation. "And why is that?"

.

"Well… you gave me my rock, and I said thank you. But then you said it would be nice to have something back. But I don't give anyone anything back when I get presents for my birthday. I say thank you like you and momma taught me."

.

"Yes, and that's fine, I just-"

.

"Do you say thank you to mom when she makes cookies?"

.

Laxus felt vacant as he stood in front of his son like a dumbstruck fool. "I…"

.

"Because if thank you is enough, dad, you shouldn't have these problems." Alex gave him a stern nod and a confident smile as he crunched on the last of his ice cream cone.

.

And there is was, straight out of a child's mouth. He couldn't consciously recall the last time he had thanked his wife for _anything_. He had admitted not long before that he didn't thank her enough, but even then, the words never left his lips. He had never so bluntly thanked the woman for all the unconditional love and devotion she gave him every day of her life.

.

Laxus slowly knelt in front of his son and wiped the ice cream from around his mouth. "You're right," he admitted proudly. "I shouldn't have these problems." He quickly kissed his son's brow before hoisting him back up in the air. "Do me a favour, Champ? Tonight, when we get home, I want you to go straight to your mother, give her a big hug and say thank you."

.

"Ok, daddy!"

.

Laxus smirked and settled the boy on his hip. "And he's gonna need your help with something else too."

.

"What?! What?!"

.

Laxus couldn't contain his cheeky smile as the pair exited the park. "Your old man's gonna do something really cheesy."

.

* * *

.

Neirah rushed through the house, straightening the pieces of hair that had slipped out of her braid as she scurried towards the door to the sound of knocking. "Coming!" She slid to a stop before taking a settling breath and opening the door to Mirajane's friendly wave.

.

"I'm baaack!" She giggled friendlily.

.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting you," Neirah crooned curiously. "Come in, I'm almost done the cleaning."

.

"Actually, I'm here to get you out," Mira assured her cheerily. "All those cleaning fumes can't be really great for your dragon senses."

.

Neirah flopped her hand over to dismiss the assumption. "Nah, they're used to it. Motherhood kind of numbs them."

.

"Still. The fresh air would do you good. It's a beautiful day and I thought we could go for a walk and…" Mira leant towards the doorway with a playful glint in her eyes. "Maybe we can do some naughty shopping for your new puppy."

.

Neirah rolled her eyes cheekily. "God, I am never going to hear the end of that from him," she moaned. "Was he mad this morning?"

.

"Nope, but I hear he wasn't really happy last night before I showed up."

.

" _That_ is an understatement," Neirah assured her. "But I really shouldn't. Laxus and Alex will be home any minute and I still haven't even _thought_ about supper."

.

"Oh? They didn't tell you?" Mira instigated. "The fair is in town and Laxus thought he'd take Alex to play some of the games."

.

Neirah's eyes glossed as her pupils dilated in disappointment. "Ahh… the fair?" She whined shakily. "I love the fair…" She heaved a heavy sigh of discouragement before stepping aside to let Mira in. "I wish the big dork had of told me…"

.

Mira's brow furrowed sadly. "Oh I… guess he didn't know that was something you liked."

.

Neirah turned to face Mirajane over her shoulder before offering her a sad smile. "Oh, that's ok. As long as he's taking Alex."

.

Mirajane giggled softly. "Yep. So that just leaves us girls to shop around for a bit. What girl couldn't use another pair of cute, lacy panties?"

.

"Jeez, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were working for _him_ ," Neirah muttered slyly.

.

Mirajane was relieved that she didn't instantly start perspiring to the suggestion. "Heh-eh… nope!"

.

* * *

.

"Welp, I should get going. It's pretty late," Mira murmured enthusiastically. "I'm sure Laxus and Alex are home now. They said they wouldn't be too long."

.

"I just hope they've eaten," Neirah prattled worrisomely. "And something other than sugar. Last time Laxus had more than two cookies before bed he thought he was a philosopher and the universe was unfolding on our ceiling."

.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Mira crooned. "Good night, Neirah."

.

"Good night."

.

Neirah smiled and turned to let herself in the house, and as Mirajane had suggested, she could see her husband hunched over the kitchen table poking at his son's nose. Alex giggled for a moment until he realised that his mother had come home. Then, he was up out of his chair and as fast as his feet could carry him to her side.

.

Neirah flinched when Alex leapt into her arms. She loved her boy, and she was pretty sure he loved her, but he had never stampeded so passionately towards her like he did his father. "Whoa, Alex, what's wro-"

.

"Thank you for everything!"

.

Neirah slowly patted her son's head and tipped her bewildered expression towards her husband. 'Did you put him up to this?' She mouthed.

.

Laxus shrugged like there was no correlation.

.

"Uhm, you're welcome, Prince." She slowly straightened and released his giggly figure back into the house. "How was the fair?"

.

"Fair!?" Alex demanded passionately.

.

" ** _Yes_** , Alex," Laxus encouraged. "The one that we visited today and might go back to tomorrow if you're good."

.

Alex was triggered into remembering the bargain he'd made with his father over their deception and he immediately adjusted his tone. He turned a broad, beaming smile towards his mother with his vague retort. "It was great!"

.

Neirah laughed and set her bags down for a moment to catch her breath. "Why on earth do you smell like flowers?"

.

"Special opening night game, thing," Laxus defended. "They throw a ball with a prize on it into a pool of flowers and you've gotta find it. He didn't do so hot."

.

Alex skidded across the hardwood on his knees as he beamed contentment and started rummaging through his mother's bags. "Cool! Anything for me here?!"

.

"Whoa! Not today, Prince! Boring. Old lady clothes and stuff," Neirah assured him upon snatching up her bags. She breathed out a sigh of relief and gave her husband an encrypted nod. "I'll just run these upstairs and then I'll join you two-"

.

"No need," Laxus rumbled huskily. He lazily dismissed himself from the table and approached to take her bags from her. "You sit and eat. I'll take these up with me."

.

Neirah's brow creased as she surrendered her wares and received a gentle kiss on her brow. "O-ok…" She didn't even think to question why Laxus had just assumed that she and Mira hadn't gotten something while they were out.

.

"It was a long day. I'm about ready to crash." There was a weight in his expression that she couldn't ignore as their gazes caught. "Are you ok to put Alex to bed tonight?"

.

"I… of course." She laid her hand against his shoulder with a look of concern in her tender gaze. "Are you feeling ok?"

.

Laxus flashed her a meek grin. "I'm sure it'll pass." He turned his attention to Alex with an authoritative tone in his voice. "Remember what I said about going back to the fair tomorrow," Laxus challenged. "Behave for your mother. I know you've had a lot of sugar today, so I better not hear of any trouble."

.

"So much sugar!" Alex pretended passionately. He threw his arms out above and around him in the form of billowing circles. "Like big, _BIG_ moun-piles of… _sugar_!"

.

Laxus tried his hardest not to laugh. The only sugar Alex had in his system was the imaginary sugar he was fantasising about consuming the next day.

.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come up with you…?"

.

Laxus shook his head. "Alex could use the company. I'm just gonna hit the pillow and pass out."

.

"Alright… well… just call if you need me."

.

He couldn't help but take her bait. With a soft smile, he tipped her head into his lips for a small kiss. "I always need you."

.

Neirah was distracted from her thoughts to the loud grind of chair legs across the kitchen floor. Her brow creased as she quickly rushed over to where Alex was trying to climb up into the fridge. "Oh, here, Alex. I've got it, sweetie. Here. Tell momma what you want and she'll get it for you."

.

Alex grunted and started to climb up onto the chair. "It's ok, mom. I got it."

.

"Alex, be careful," she warned. "Just tell me what you're looking fo-" Neirah took a slow step forwards and peeked around the fridge door to see her son struggling with a covered tray. "Is that my fancy dish?"

.

"Sure… IS!" Alex's tone grew exasperated with his struggle, something Neirah was quick to remedy when she approached to help him bring it out.

.

"What on earth did you two get into that you thought it needed to be on the fancy tray?" Neirah shared a laugh with her son as he grunted and leant over the table on his arms to reach for the lid. With a triumphant smile, Alex revealed the meal beneath.

.

Neirah immediately covered her mouth to keep from acting too surprised for their efforts. "Y-you… you and your father rolled sushi?!" That fact might not have startled her so much if it wasn't the most beautifully organised tray of neatly packed rice and fish she had ever laid eyes upon. Even the sashimi was so neatly sliced to perfection she thought she'd drool.

.

"Nah," Alex busted. "Dad went to the place with the fancy sign out front of it that looks like a fish-dragon. He said I was prob-ly too young to remember the last time I saw sashi but he said he thought you liked it. Then he told the man that he didn't know what kind you liked so he got a whole great big bunch – OH!" Alex quickly scurried around the house before he barreled back into the kitchen with a long, narrow little box in his hand. "He also says… drat… er… Right! He hasn't seen you have sashi in a long time and he didn't know if you can eat it right so he got you these. The ones the man tried to give us were really boring."

.

Neirah felt the sting of affectionate tears rise in her eyes as she opened up the little box to a lovely pair of polished chopsticks with bits of seashell engrained in the thicker ends. She knew that Alex had never seen sushi before. They hadn't had it since he was born because she knew Laxus never favoured it. The time Laxus was referring to that Alex must not have remembered, was the night that Alex was conceived. It was the choice meal she brought back to the hotel the night she almost lost him in Lysar.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Hungry, Prince?" She looked down to where a growling tummy reminded her that her lover still hadn't eaten yet and a stifled giggled filled her lungs._

 _._

 _Laxus shook his head, clearly denying what his stomach articulated as the truth. Luckily, with his angle against her breast, she couldn't see his embarrassed blush. "Too comfortable for food."_

 _._

 _There was a short silence broken between them by a second grumble._

 _._

 _"_ _Fuck…"_

 _._

 _Neirah laughed as she picked his head from her chest and set him face down on the bed, his groan of disapproval muffled by the sheets as his outstretched fingers twitched emptily. "Lucky for you, I went out and grabbed a bite to eat while you were napping earlier. I hope you like takeout."_

 _._

 _Laxus' nostrils flared as she cracked the top of her takeout container, his submission to his body's desires complete when he tipped his head to the side and peered at her through one open eye. "I smell chicken…"_

 _._

 _"_ _Probably taste's like that too," she mused. She ignited her fists in subtle flame to heat the foil tray beneath her hands. "Please don't tell Natsu I did this," she chuckled. "He'll probably say something stupid about using his powers for bitch-work." She looked over her shoulder to where Laxus, and a pillow, had wormed closer._

 _._

 _"_ _That's all his magic is good for."_

 _._

 _"_ _What did I say about being mean?"_

 _._

 _"_ _Hungry. Can't obey two commands at once, Princess."_

 _._

 _She thrust the meal in front of him with a playful grin. "Here," she surrendered. "It's all yours."_

 _._

 _He looked back up at her as she patted his shoulder and left him with a tray of food in front of his nose with nothing to eat it with. His expression paled as desperation saw him reach for it, but common decency saw him restrain it. With his luck, she was returning to her bag to grab a collar. "I appreciate the thought but… could we try to preserve, at least, a little of what remains of my humanity?"_

 _._

 _Neirah returned with her bag in tote before sitting down on the bed beside him and offering him a pair of chopsticks. "We could try," came her rousing gesture. He took the sticks in his hand under careful observation. "But I somehow doubt we'd get very far with that."_

 _._

 _The two stared silently at the tray for a long moment before Laxus took both sticks in his closed fist and pressed them down into the centre of one of the tender bites. He retracted the offering in a similar manner, the sticks remaining past his lips as he chewed._

 _._

 _"_ _Oh… my god." Neirah mused, silently slipping him a fork. "Good thing I brought back up."_

 _._

 _"_ _You're a heartless bitch," he snapped, quickly replacing his cutlery._

 _._

 _"_ _Well, you're not generally very entertaining company," she cooed playfully. "I have to make due."_

.

.

Neirah closed her eyes and took a deep breath to keep her smile from drowning in a rain of tears. 'You always remember the silliest little things…'

.

"So, do you like some of the sashi here?" Alex interrupted.

.

Neirah smiled blissfully and poked her son in the nose with her new chopsticks. "What is this _sashi_ word I keep hearing?" She poked Alex a couple more times to the sound of his delighted giggling. "This is _sushi_."

.

"Not all of it!" Alex defended. "So, dad and I made up a word to say it's all the same fishy stuff." Alex pointed into the platter towards the slices of raw fish. "See? This is sushis and this is sashimies!"

.

Neirah laughed before poking at one of the offerings of surf clam. "Not quite, Prince." She nibbled on the chewy texture while she wiggled a slimy slice of salmon in his face. "This wriggly stuff here is sashimi."

.

"Ew!"

.

Then, Neirah slurped a piece of salmon back and popped her sticks around either side of a sushi roll. "These one's here are the sushi."

.

"Blech! They all smell funny!"

.

Neirah was in absolute bliss. Fresh sushi might have been one of her favourite meals in the entire world. "Then I'll take it you and your father ate something else?"

.

"We had tetradactyl chicken!"

.

Neirah covered her lips as she started to laugh. "Maybe _teriyaki_ chicken? Did it come from the fishy-dragon too?"

.

"Yep!"

.

"Ok so I don't have to worry that your father has caught some sort of prehistoric bug," she teased. "Here, try some."

.

"Icky! It's gross!"

.

Neirah pouted and held out a crunchy crab roll tossed in tempura bits towards her son between her chopsticks. "You're just saying that because your father says that."

.

"Yea, but dad's awesome and he can do whatever he wants and what he says goes!"

.

"Did he also warn you that momma trumps all? Just try it, and if you don't like it, I'll clean your room myself for a whole week."

.

"OK!"

.

Neirah quickly retracted her offering with a warning. "Ahp! But if you're lying just to get me to clean your room, I won't let you have any more sashi."

.

Hesitancy.

.

* * *

.

"I don't get it! How can you pick up anything with these?!"

.

"Patience, Prince," Neirah crooned. "Put your fingers like this-" She smiled sadly as Alex got frustrated to the slippery fish sliding from between her chopsticks. As a result, Alex picked up the pale slice and slurped it back out of his fingers.

.

Neirah rolled her eyes and reclaimed her chopsticks. You are just like your father." Neirah reached out and swatted his fingers with her chopsticks to keep him from stealing more sushi rolls. "That's enough for tonight, we need to get you to bed."

.

"Awn, but mom!"

.

"Only one butt matters here and that's yours in bed," she reasoned. "I just heard your father drawing a bath. If that's the case then he's most definitely not well and momma needs to go take care of him."

.

Alex wrinkled his nose as his mother started to pack their sushi tray away. "Dad's tough. He can take care of himself."

.

Neirah purred and gave her son a hard kiss on his brow. "Mn, you really are your father's little protégé." She swept his dark auburn bangs out from in front of his deep azure gaze and smiled. "Even tough guys need a hand sometimes. Now come, we'll brush our teeth in the downstairs bathroom and be really quiet going up the stairs, ok?"

.

Alex turned and started to march away with a dramatic groan. "Yes, ma'am…"

.

Neirah swelled with affection as she tidied up the kitchen. She couldn't get over how sweet a gesture supper was. She didn't even care that the two had gone to the fair without her. On top of that, she got to spend a good couple of hours just bonding with her son. It was nice, for a change. She tried not to become too disheartened about it, but Alex really did seem to share a stronger bond with his father. Laxus was a strong, proud guild master. It only made sense that the man was the boy's hero… not his boring stay-home mom.

.

Neirah's expression knotted as she started to lift the tray from the table and revealed the corner of a picture Alex must have been colouring while he was at the table with his father. She quickly pulled it out from under the tray so it didn't get damaged and her chest started to ache with affection. She could tell which one Laxus was because he took up three-quarters of the paper with a little lightning bolt line beneath a bunch of yellow ones. But then, to the side, she could make out her son's auburn mop in a messy squiggle of brown crayon, and to the left of him, was a scratchy brown braid that stretched from one end of the paper to the other.

.

And they were all baking cookies.


	8. Goodbye, Master ((ML))

**_Goodbye, Master_**

* * *

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

Neirah swept through the kitchen in her flannel pyjamas, a smile on her face, a freshly steeped green tea clutched in her dainty fingers. She gave her son a gentle kiss on his head, giggling when the boy rubbed it away with a humiliated grimace like he'd just contracted cooties. She rolled her eyes playfully and turned to where her husband was leaning against the countertop with one hand clutching the textured surface. He hadn't combed his bedhead yet, or put on a shirt, for that matter. He just lounged in his favourite navy fleece sleep pants, his lips attached to the brim of the largest number one dad mug she and her son could find in Magnolia.

.

A typical morning for the young Dreyars.

.

She took advantage of her son's face being barbarically buried in a bowl of Fruit Loops and slowly approached her husband with a seductive look on her face. She could tell he'd stopped swallowing coffee the moment he caught sight of her by the lack of bob in his throat, but his cup remained pressed to his face as his gaze roamed. She gave her hips a gentle roll, diverting her attention bashfully when she realised how silly she must have looked. She had no way of knowing that was the most tempting thing she could have done for her hungry man.

.

She reached out and lazily laced a couple of fingers between his, intertwining them haphazardly. She beamed contentment back at him when he finally lowered his cup and diverted his gaze to where he could see their fingers tangling. She sighed softly and drew his hand to her face, bypassing his fingers to place a gentle kiss on the tender underside of his wrist where he still ached from his containment the night before.

.

The torment of her alluring gaze sizing him up from beneath thick lashes was almost too much for him to bear and he was about fifteen seconds from telling his son to close his eyes, cover his ears. That was when he was saved by a gentle knock on their front door.

.

All three heads turned like meerkats in unison to look out through the kitchen to where they could see the front door of their home. "That's weird," Laxus rumbled in vexation.

.

"It's a little early for someone to be visiting," Neirah agreed. "Maybe something happened with the guild."

.

Laxus snorted his amusement. "If the idiots trashed the place, I'd be the last person they'd want hearin' about it," he accurately suggested. "Can you deal with it, Wife?" He brought his coffee back up to his lips. "I don't have my people-face on yet."

.

Neirah growled and slapped her husband across the chest regardless of their son's presence bursting into hysterics as Laxus rubbed the sting from his pectoral.

.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" He teased the jarring toddler. "You like it when your mom beats your old man?"

.

"No-ho-ho!" Alex cheered through his fits of laughter.

.

Neirah shook her head as she passed her son towards the door, smiling to herself as she listened to their kitchen banter.

.

"I think you do," Laxus added sternly. "I think you're a little sadist just like your mom."

.

"What's a sadist?"

.

"Someone who likes watching their mom kick their dad's ass." It was too late to catch himself so all he could do was cringe when he heard his wife raise her voice over his son's laughter.

.

"Laxus, in front of our son is not the place to say as-" Neirah whirled around and glared back at him as she covered her own mouth to the sound of Alex's wails of mirth. "The bad word for butts!"

.

"AHhaha! Mom said it too!"

.

Laxus growled and ruffled his boy's mane. "An' if I catch you sayin' it, you're gonna know what it's like to get yours beat," he teased. "We square?"

.

"Yes'sir!" Alex saluted.

.

"That goes for both of you," Neirah warned while approaching her door.

.

"Dad, what's a people-face?"

.

"The scary one that makes people not talk to your old man," Laxus informed the child calmly from behind the rim of his mug. More hysterics. The boy laughed like he thought his father was joking.

.

Neirah smiled as she reached for the doorknob, her heart full of love for the boys at her back. She didn't think anything on the other side of the door that misty morning could bring her spirits down, but that was when she opened it to the solemn, red-eyed and rosy-cheeked Porlyusica.

.

Alex knew it was time to stop laughing as soon as his father's expression paled in silent mortification. Neirah quickly whirled to face her husband with her hand covering her heart and her breathless expression filled with silent concern. Alex then turned to face his quiet father too, and the pressure of all sets of eyes on him made him set down his coffee before he fumbled piping hot grounds onto his own hand. His tone had mellowed sternly as he spoke the quiet words.

.

"Alright change of plans, Champ… Let's go get you dressed."

.

Alex looked back at his nodding mother before his chair legs were grinding across the floor and he was scampering up the stairs obediently. "Kay, Daddy…"

.

He slowly approached the door his son had just stormed by on his way up the front staircase. Neirah ran to him as soon as their son was out of earshot, whimpering his name as she wrapped her arms around the grim man's presence.

.

Laxus interrupted Neirah's fretful words with a slow, gentle kiss on the top of her head. He kept his lips against her dark roots for a long a silent moment, closing his eyes to avoid the heartache in a usually cold and hearty old woman's gaze. He slowly backed away from his trembling wife and connected their disheartened gazes. "Just… let me grab a shirt…"

.

* * *

.

Neirah was sure that her husband was going to break her little hand with how tightly he was clutching it in front of the hospital room window overlooking the final moments of his grandfather's time with them, and still, he wouldn't let go. They had never been big hand-holders, but in that moment, that morning, he didn't want to be away from her tangible comfort.

.

She turned and watched the distress flicker in his dull grey eyes; he looked perplexed, to summarize. It was like he couldn't decide what emotion he wanted to display with Porlyusica nearby. Instead, he was left to bounce back and forth between remorseful pain and cool indifference.

.

"I don't get it," he started bleakly. "I just talked to him yesterday… Everything seemed fine…"

.

"The old fool has been fighting this for longer than I care to admit now," Porlyusica murmured tenderly. "I am only surprised he made it home in his condition, but this will be his last journey." She bowed her head sadly and tried to conceal her own disheartened tears. "At least he is where he belongs now… surrounded by a family who loves him."

.

"Can he have visitors?" Neirah's swift suggestion attracted Porlyusica's attention.

.

"If he is conscious to receive them, I can't see why not…"

.

Neirah quickly turned to face her husband who was already shaking his head in preparation for denying her.

.

"Neirah, don't…"

.

"Go to him," she encouraged. "Laxus, he's your grandfather."

.

"Come with me," he begged.

.

"I'll stay right here," she promised. "Laxus, these may be the last minutes you spend with the man who practically raised you. You don't need me there to overhear the secrets you share with each other."

.

Laxus bowed his head, butting his brow against Neirah's as he reached out and held her face. "I can't," he denied. "Neirah, I've never had to say goodbye to anyone before…"

.

Neirah's heart broke as she reached up and clutched his hands tightly in hers as the pairs lingered against her damp cheeks.

.

"Everyone else has just dropped off the face of the earth… I don't know what to say…"

.

Neirah's eyes were so filled with tears that they started to blur her vision before the shimmering presence cascaded over her cheeks. "Then don't say anything," she whispered weakly. "Just be with him." She shook her face free of his grip, lowering their hands. "Please trust me when I say that if you don't go to him, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

.

Laxus' heart started to ache when he considered Neirah's own personal traumas that he'd unintentionally surfaced.

.

"I wasn't there when my father died. I never heard the final words he spoke to know that I was in them." She drew both of his hands swiftly to her lips and placed a hard, teary kiss on his folded fingertips. "What about living with no regrets? If nothing else, just sit there and listen so that when the time comes, he is at peace."

.

Laxus turned to face Porlyusica with a desperation in his gaze. Silently, he wished she would send him away in an impatient huff like Porlyusica was known to do. Her complacency frightened him. "And the others? What about when they get here?"

.

"They're not coming," Neirah announced confidently.

.

"But-"

.

"Time is of the essence, Laxus…" Porlyusica assured him gravely. "This moment belongs to the two of you and you alone…"

.

His gaze ricocheted swiftly enough between the women that he was getting dizzy, his breathing trembling in his chest. Finally, his gaze rested on his wife. "You knew…?"

.

She slowly nodded her head, her tone meek with sorrow. "Please…"

.

He hated feeling like he'd just been played by a couple of women, but he had to admit that there was a small part of his being that morning that had wanted to run to the hospital faster than his legs could carry him. He admitted that maybe that part of him was the child that used to love his grandfather more than anything.

.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, he felt like he'd stepped into another world, one he was trapped in. Even though he knew the doorknob turned freely, he felt like it had locked behind him, like he could pound on the glass walls until he exhausted all his strength and nothing could free him. Since his grandfather had stirred with a haggard cough to the sound of him joining his presence, he was doomed to wait out the final earthshattering moments he watched the life fade from his grandfather's proud eyes.

.

And that terrified him.

.

 _You decided to show up this time, I see._

 _._

 _Oh? No wife or child to protect you from one final lecture?_

.

Of all the things that he expected his snarky grandfather to come out with the moment he took a seat in the chair beside his bed, he didn't anticipate his actuality in the least.

.

"I never thought I'd die in the springtime," Makarov murmured weakly. Laxus' stomach churned as he diverted his gaze, sitting quietly at the bedside as his ailing grandfather stared out the bright hospital window. "Perhaps late summer or fall. I imagined the season to fit these tired bones. But here I sit…" He sighed and slowly shifted his narrow gaze towards the white sheets of his bed. "The world is bursting with life around me as my last leaf falls. At least they gave me a room with a window so that I could enjoy it while I last."

.

Laxus had taken his wife's suggestion, and rather than ruining a tender moment by stumbling over his own tongue, he remained silent during his grandfather's morbid declaration.

.

"You know, it's rather funny. I always thought you ruffians would drive me to an early grave, but I have lived a full life." Makarov smiled gently as he watched his brooding grandson fidget. "You never could stay still for more than a minute," Makarov mused tenderly. "Especially as a boy. I bet you don't see it, how alike you and your son truly are. I'm sure all you can see in the boy is his beautiful mother, though how she puts up with your antics I'll never know. And to think that Alex bears such a remarkable resemblance, a shame. Poor child. She must be exhausted between the two of you."

.

Laxus raised his gaze to meet his grandfather's, a subtle tension in the lines of his face that promised he was withholding a great deal of emotion. But curling those tense lines at their base was a sombrely subtle smile for Makarov's humour.

.

Makarov returned the weak grin and adjusted his attention out the window again. "There is so very little I asked for in my final years," he continued quietly. "That my son would see the error in his ways and seek a brighter path, that my children would grow and thrive in the world they worked so hard to save when the empire attacked us…" He closed his eyes and let his smile broaden. "And that my egghead of a grandson would find himself a sweet little wife to tame his wild soul."

.

Laxus was relieved that his grandfather had begun to lighten the mood and finally gathered the courage to speak, even if his voice was raspy and filled with remorse. "Well, at least we've managed to cover most of that."

.

Makarov tipped his head to the side in mocking inquiry. "Hm, I suppose; our guild _is_ thriving," he instigated. "But my son is still a tyrant and my grandson instead found himself an apocalyptic dragon to wed."

.

Laxus dropped his head with an exhausted sigh. "Shoulda known you had one more lecture in you before you kicked the bucket."

.

Makarov smiled back at his dismayed grandson. "I _did_ ," he whispered softly. "When I was on my way back to town, I knew I was short for this world. Porlyusica warned me that I might not make it, but I showed the old girl that I've still got some fight left. And while I was doing so, I retraced every footstep to try and remember if I had left a stone unturned, words unsaid. But when I sat in that guild the other day and watched the way the room filled with love and prosperity, I realised that I had already taught you everything I could. You have learned all you can from me, that is clear. What remains is to remember lessons learned, battles fought, loves shared. See that no memory is discarded without cause and no mistake is repeated without consequence. That is all the advice this weathered old man has left to give."

.

Laxus' throat worked as he diverted his gaze, his next breath a little deeper to relieve the itch in his running nose.

.

"You became a fine man, my boy... I don't believe I've ever told you that. It is something I feel like maybe that apocalyptic dragon might have had a hand in. I was so afraid when I discovered that particular woman was the one to steal your heart. Mine broke a little more every time I saw you smile at her knowing that someday she would be taken from you forever."

.

Laxus looked back at him with glossing eyes and tight lips.

.

"But she came back to you," the old man nearly breathed. "Something I never thought possible. And then, the woman who stood by your side through everything I tried to protect you from brought a beautiful son into your life. Maybe it doesn't seem like it's perfect, maybe it isn't… do fairies have tails?" Makarov nearly choked on his attempted laugh. "Is anything really perfect? We all make mistakes, sometimes we don't have all the answers, but it's the people we hold dear that make every mistake worth making. The ones who love us, through the good and the bad, they don't leave if we stumble and fall. They pick us up and carry us into the light." Makarov smiled as he reached out and took his grandson's hand in his, his tired fingers trembling frailly around it. "Laxus? Look at me, boy…"

.

It took everything that Laxus had not to break down into a fit of blubbering hysterics as he obeyed.

.

"I'm sorry that it took me so long to see that Fairy Tail's shadow was your light all along," he whispered feebly. "I'm sorry I ever tried to protect you from what I know now, sorry I delayed the peace you have found."

.

Laxus slowly shook his head. "Don't… be," he muttered bleakly. He looked down into his grandfather's hand and reminisced a moment he had shared with his wife long before they ever knew they were in love. "Everything happens for a reason… fate and… what not…" His inhale shuddered deeply. "I guess that means the good… and the bad… It all led us to where we are now, right? So… if you never told me not to fall in love with her… maybe… I just…"

.

"You make me proud… Laxus," Makarov admitted peacefully. He laid back and closed his eyes with a small smile on his face. As soon as he did, Laxus clamped his eyes shut and bared his teeth. "When I meet that mighty beast that fathered your wife, I will thank him for all he did… for a smile. Tell your wife I leave you in her capable hands…"

.

"I will." He hated how pitiful his voice must have sounded and all of a sudden, he was thankful they were alone for what was to come.

.

"Tell she and Alex that I love them like my own, with all of my tired heart." Makarov smiled and used all the strength he had to challenge the strength of his grandson's trembling grip. "And Laxus?"

.

He snapped. His first tears started to shake free of his eyes as he shook his head firmly from side to side in attempts to deny the sentiment he knew was coming. "Don't you dare!"

.

"I will always be looking your way…" Makarov's grip started to loosen on his grandson's hand with his fading strength, but he had nothing left to hold onto. He had made peace with his end and seen all he needed to know he was leaving with… _few_ … regrets. 'I have one regret I carry with me to wherever I lead from here,' he thought with his fading consciousness. 'And when the time comes that you finally face it… please forgive a tired old man who made mistakes… and didn't always… have the answers…'

.

Neirah watched through the window as Laxus struggled to say a couple words, prompting a response from a man who could no longer hear him. Her tears were already freefalling over her face when she watched her husband clamp one of his grandfather's tiny hands between his own and hold it to his face as he shattered. She held her hand to her lips as she whimpered her agony and started for the door. Porlyusica didn't stop her, she had tears of her own to shed.

.

Neirah threw the door open, but before rushing to his side, she pondered that maybe she should approach him carefully. Laxus was known to have a hard time expressing himself and she didn't want to push him when he was faced with likely the saddest experience of his life. But she didn't still. She carefully approached him while he wept quietly into the back of his grandfather's hand, the warmth fading from the old man's grasp.

.

She watched him for a long moment, the way his chest heaved like he was still fighting the need to break down entirely. It hurt as she watched him try and open his eyes, blinded and fumbling with his tears as he returned his grandfather's hand to where it would fold alongside his other. She couldn't help but sob with him, gently laying her hand on his tremoring shoulder so at least he knew she was there if he needed her.

.

It didn't take long for him to respond in a way she didn't expect. She flinched as he wrapped one hand around her waist to drag her against his chest, and with his brow pressed tightly enough to her breast that she thought he'd wind her, he cried. She almost whimpered as he buried his fingers in the back of her sundress, a mix of flesh and fabric crushed beneath his need to hold – anything, someone. She quickly checked the room's window to where Porlyusica was obviously already fetching a nurse and slowly wrapped her arms around her husband's head. Her lower lip trembled as she gently stroked the roots of his hair to help soothe him like only she could. "She's gone," she whispered faintly. "Laxus…"

.

"He loved you too," was all he could manage at the moment. He shook his face against her and ground his teeth so hard he thought they'd break. "He wanted… he wanted me to tell you that."

.

As he clutched her more fiercely, she reciprocated, laying her face on the top of his head. "I'm so-"

.

"Don't," he interrupted hoarsely. "If it weren't for you… I… I woulda…"

.

"It's ok," she nurtured. She was getting good at that since becoming a mother. "It's ok…" She knew that he would have regretted waiting a moment longer to be with his grandfather, but she didn't need to be thanked. She felt terrible just putting him through so much pain. But as she slowly felt him give in to his sorrow and heartache, she slowly felt the tension leave his wracked body with the indulgence of something painfully mortal.

.

He was starting to let himself live again.

.

* * *

.

Alex trembled on the spot, and although he was aware of the situation's importance, he spent more time watching his father than anything else. He could hear the whimpers, the soft tears of his mother, Miss Mira and Aunt Levy. Even Uncle Gajeel and Aunt Juvia's eyes were red and watering. But what he couldn't ignore was that his fathers weren't.

.

He shivered and shook, his nose draining and his eyes bubbling so full of tears that he could barely make out the hard lines of his father's concrete expression. It made him wonder if his father could see what they were seeing, hear the words that he had heard the minister speak. When they were instructed to bow their heads, that was when Alex realised that his father could hear them. He could see them. His father complied, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the man. His conclusion was that Laxus was just stronger than everyone else around him.

.

Alex couldn't help but pay more attention to his idol than the devastating scenery between them. He squeaked miserable attempts at concealing his snivelling by his mother's lap, trying to dry his eyes, but he couldn't and he felt ashamed. He drew his arm up against his blubbering face to blot away the devastated leakage but the self-pitying act only made him cry harder as he began to frustrate himself.

.

He was conscious of his mother trying to aid him in keeping his composure, her gentle, nurturing touch only riling him further. He grunted his impatience with a knotted face and shoved her attention away with a shrill grunt of defiance. He didn't need her help. He was strong like his father. If his father didn't hurt, then neither did he, no matter how contradictory his appearance seemed to his heart's will.

.

He kicked out, trying his hardest to escape his mother's moderating embrace so that he could meet his father. He wanted to run to the man for comfort, not wade in a puddle of the sorrow around him. His father was the only comforting presence to be found and it bothered him that he couldn't cry into the man's lap and tell him to make all the bad disappear. His father was the only one strong enough to do such things as scare away pain and fear, not his cool uncle or doting aunt; and certainly not his mother. Only his father could command the heavens and he wanted that comfort. He wanted it that very moment he was denied it.

.

Neirah watched as their darkly clad friends and family remorsefully started to part with the conclusion of their farewells to the man who'd played father for a good majority of them. She adjusted a stray strand of hair from her long braid as the fresh breeze carried it rambunctiously away like the emblem of her husband's pearly Wizard Saint jacket.

.

The cherries had bloomed as if for the occasion. She watched them rain down on the cemetery around them like a sweet snowfall, and like a snowfall, they threatened to completely bury the man she watched linger behind with his hands in his pockets and his expression hard as stone. She watched her brother pass him by, his hand falling on her husband's sturdy shoulder. She diverted her gaze and sniffed back her emotion as her memories scattered like the petals by her feet. If it hadn't been for Makarov, she and her big brother might still be living on the streets, fending meekly through an unfulfilling life.

.

Instead, the two of them were rearing the next generation of the prosperous Fairy Tail guild and she was doing it next to a man with the guild in his blood. She had a lot to be grateful for, a lot to thank Fairy Tail's third, sixth and eighth master for.

.

"So…"

.

Neirah startled and whirled to face where she had unexpectedly been interrupted in thought by her sulking big brother. The man had taken a firm stance beside her, his humble expression keeping a close eye on a one he quite unsuspectedly grew to call one of his closest friends.

.

"We just gonna leave him here like this?"

.

Neirah bowed her head solemnly in thought. "He just needs… a little more time. I don't want his son to watch his hero suffer. I want him to feel free to mourn the way he needs." There was a hitch in her breath as she turned to face her brother again, his gentle touch on her shoulder.

.

"Lev and I can take the kids home if ya want," he offered softly. "I don't think leavin' him like this is a good idea. You know how he gets. He beats himself up over nothin'. We don't need our guild's master still piecin' himself back together a month from now…"

.

Neirah's lip quivered as she lifted her fingers and intertwined them with Gajeel's against her shoulder. Her touch was tender at first, but with the swell of sentiment, she tightened her grip on his hand until he was reciprocating. "He gave us a home," she whimpered frailly.

.

Gajeel's gaze faltered as he worked his thumb over his baby sister's trembling fingers. "He gave us a hell of a lot more than that," he murmured softly. He quietly raised his gaze to where Laxus was still standing bleakly over his grandfather's grave. "He gave us a second chance…"

.

Neirah's gaze hadn't left her husband's back. "They both did," she whispered faintly.

.

Gajeel pressed his chest against the small woman's back and drew her into him so that he could plant a hard kiss on the top of her head. "I wasn't just goin' easy on him because I owed his grandpa a debt," he teased. "I'll be workin' for him till he's pushin' up the daisies next to the old man."

.

"Gajeel," she gently reprimanded.

.

"Don't worry, I got the kids," he assured her kindly. "You just make sure bolts for brains doesn't go gettin' broody on us."

.

Neirah shifted her gaze to where her son padded across the grassy ground towards his father and she narrowly retracted his sharply dressed little figure. "Alex, Sweetie, not now. Your father needs a moment."

.

"I want to be with Dad," Alex argued in a nasally whine.

.

"Yea, but your old man just needs some alone time right now," Gajeel defended. "So you can come hang out with your uncle Gajeel for a bit, kay kid?"

.

Alex shook his head and tried to struggle out of his mother's arms. "No! I want to stay with Dad! Why does Mom get to stay?! It's not FAAAIR!"

.

Neirah sighed as she watched Gajeel shoulder the screeching toddler before rejoining his wife. "We'll catch up with you later," she called back to him. Her heart silently ached as she watched Alex try to bang and squirm his way free, but she didn't command his return. She knew Laxus needed some time and frankly, she didn't even feel she should be present for it.

.

She adjusted her gaze and watched her husband's body unseize. Finally, he was on his way towards a bench beneath one of the larger trees bordering the cemetery. That was when she got brave enough to finally approach him.

.

Laxus bowed his head, thighs spread and elbows braced on either knee as he folded his fingers and stared into the sakura pattered earth beneath his shoes. He closed his eyes with a deep sigh as his wife's sandaled toes came into sight the moment before she was embracing his head tightly against her chest. He was comfortable just joined by her reassurance, but the way she gently tugged at his roots with every affectionate stroke made him want to curl up in the damp grass for an exhausted nap.

.

"Would you like company?" Her voice was tender as she gently stroked him comfortingly. "Or would you prefer that I left you alone?" Laxus was silent for a long moment before he slowly reached up around her and engulfed her with strong arms to draw her nearer. Her subtle smile took his actions as answer enough.

.

For an extended and quiet moment, she just held him, and he held her, the gentle breeze carrying springtime through the air around them beneath the sakura tree. He mildly worked his fingers over her spine, trying to focus his thoughts while her comforting presence helped him to find anchoring order. Even if he didn't want the peaceful moment to end, his heart was aching too painfully to remain silent.

.

"I had so much… I wanted to say," he admitted bleakly. He slowly opened his narrow gaze and stared at the material of her dress, dry eyes quietly counting stitches as he spoke. "I just couldn't- I didn't have enough time to…"

.

"I know," she whispered softly. "It's hard, when you're faced with a moment like that, to keep your words in order. It's hard to know what to say. Everything in your heart feels like the most important sentiment in that split moment and in the end, it cripples it."

.

"I wished I had of thanked him, just once…" Laxus rattled out bleakly. "I thought about it a lot all day. I don't think… I've ever thanked him for all he did for me…"

.

Neirah's expression faded dismally. "Never? Are you sure?" She readjusted her warm embrace when she considered her folly. "What am I saying? You have one of the greatest memories of anyone I know. If you say you didn't…"

 _._

 _"Thanks for everything… Grandpa…"_

 _._

 _"Just go!"_

 _._

Laxus' throat worked dryly as his gaze narrowed further and his eyes started to well. "I… Maybe I wish…" He closed his eyes and let the memory fill him. He had thanked his grandfather once, as part of one of the most traumatic experiences of his life. He used to remember every second of those events like they happened a day before, but since his wife had released him from the cage his painful memories held him in, the details were finally starting to fade from his recollection. "I wish I had of said it before he was gone."

.

His grip finally started to relax as he filled the quiet yard with his regrets. "I wish I had of thanked him for takin' me under his wing when my old man turned his back. He didn't care if I was great; if I was strong or brave. He was still there to pick me up when I was down, and all I did was spit in his face."

.

"Laxus…"

.

"It's ok," he assured her kindly. He pulled away from her and took her little hand in his, fiddling with her wedding band before raising her fingers to his lips for a gentle kiss. "I'm not raggin' on myself this time, just stating a fact." His smile was meek, but it was present as he watched a stray petal land on the back of his wife's hand. "The old man was the only reason I made it as far as I did." He scoffed lightly as he captured the blossom from his wife's dark skin. "Honestly, who knows where I'd be if it weren't for him. Probably in jail next to my deadbeat dad…"

.

Neirah's brow furrowed with vexation. "I thought you didn't keep tabs on where he was," she proclaimed delicately. She leant back and looked down at him, dusting some falling leaves from her husband's hair as they landed. "How do you know he's in prison?"

.

"I _don't_ ," he clarified. "But it's the only reason I can justify that the bastard wasn't here to see his old man to the other side."

.

Neirah flinched with a tender gasp as she watched Laxus flex his palm fiercely around the petal he was clutching, choking the life from its silky surface. With a gentle sigh, she slowly knelt in front of him and wrapped both of her hands around his trembling fist. "Laxus, that isn't your burden to bear," she whispered softly. "It's his. You were by Master Makarov's side to see him there yourself. You know he went with a smile on his face, a smile inspired by a man he was proud of. Maybe he was disappointed in his son, but he didn't lose faith in you just because Ivan had made mistakes. Even when you walked a darker path, it broke his heart to help force you to find the right one."

.

Neirah's heart sank into her churning tummy as her husband's catching breath nearly squeaked its articulation while he sucked back a hard inhale and ground his trembling jaws to bear the weight of tears raising back in his eyes.

.

She quietly drew his shaking hand to her lips for a soft kiss. "I'm sorry," she whispered tenderly. "I know it's easy to say that we need to live every day like our last, say the things that are on our mind, but it's not a practical way to live," she admitted sadly. "We're always going to have subtle regrets. "Sometimes fear will steal our words, painful wounds will keep us from taking that extra step. It's easy to say that we need to live in anticipation of death, but what about those who fear admitting that that day will ever come? Maybe every regret we have is actually the denial that we will ever leave a promise unfulfilled. To live like that is to accept that there is an end, there is a darkness you can't avoid. Maybe that's why it is easier to die than to live…" She turned away with a heavy heart, recalling the peace in Makarov's expression as he slipped away while his grandson crumbled at his bedside.

.

"It's just as hard for me to keep my own thoughts from jumbling before they come out. Your grandfather meant a lot to me and my brother too. I knew he was suspicious of me from the start. He was such a powerful and intuitive wizard, not even my mother's enchantment could fool him." Her expression humbled as she lingered behind their interlocked fingers. "Some days, I just stare at my own naked body in the mirror to remind myself that I don't have scales. I was scared, lost. Even though he knew from the first day a sick little girl entered his guild in a Phantom's shadow, he let me stay. Even after Karua attacked me the first time for Marionette's plans. When Gajeel brought that sick little girl back, Makarov nursed her back to health with the help of his dear friends and family. He never turned me away, just a cold shoulder." Neirah's smile was bashful as she stared into her husband's lap.

.

"I used to feel the same way as you. Like nothing I could do would ever repay his kindness. But that day when I sank Acnologia in the sea, I met his proud, bewildered gaze through the crowd and I felt the warmth spread through my body." She released his hand with one of her own, keeping the fingers of the other wrapped snuggly around his. She placed that hand on her heart where he knew their guild's golden crest rested on her concealed bust. "That moment that I returned to my family, I felt the love of a father in my heart. I understand why he was cautious. He was afraid I might end up like Reku, like Acnologia. Humanity had mistreated me from the start, but like my father, I never gave up on them." She finally raised her gaze to where he was staring back at her. "I couldn't give up on them; not on the guild, or him…" She reached out and cupped his cheek with the hand she'd held to her heart. "On you…"

.

"I used to get so mad at him," he rumbled grimly. "I didn't get it. Sick little kid goin' up against the world. I thought he was turnin' his back on her. I didn't get that he believed in you the whole time." He raised his second hand to take Neirah's one between both sets of fingers. "Actually, when I look back, I remember that day I told him that you had already left, that you were after the black dragon. He was cold and collected a minute before, but as soon as I said that, I saw something come out that I hadn't noticed before… He was afraid." He looked back at her passionately. "He was afraid you wouldn't come back…"

.

"But I did," she whispered softly. "Even if I never know how, I will always be grateful."

.

"Never leave me…"

.

Neirah's blissful smile faded as she slowly climbed to her feet and set herself on the bench beside her husband, keeping his hand in hers as she looked back at his diverted expression. "Laxus, where on Earthland do you think I would go?"

.

"It doesn't matter where," he argued sternly. "If you leave, I'll follow. I can't… I just…"

.

Neirah's expression warmed shyly as she leant her temple against his shoulder and sighed her contentment. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered affectionately. "This is where I belong, right here, in your shadow."

.

Laxus turned glassy eyes and looked to his side where the high sun was casting his shadow over his little wife. He'd felt like she did it on purpose. He slowly slipped his arm around her, his free hand placing his crumpled little flower in her hair as he laid his lips quietly against the top of her head. He pondered her sentiment for a quiet moment while working his fingers over her nape.

.

"I love it when you cry."

.

Laxus' expression shifted in bemusement as he slipped away from his wife and checked her expression for validity. He was staggering to figure out how he was going to get her to repeat herself when she had laid her hand against his abdomen and stroked lazy pats over his shirt.

.

"I know what you're thinking," she teased. "I'm not being morbid. I just… I like to see you expressing yourself."

.

"Well, I guess I'm glad my pain amuses you," he rumbled cheekily.

.

Neirah straightened at his side before reaching out and laying her hand on his chest. "It does…" She raised her glossy gaze to his. "Laxus, everything you feel amuses me. Maybe amuses isn't the right word, but nothing fills me with more hope for your future than when I see you break through the walls you built around yourself and show me the man that's trapped beneath." She pressed her hand more sternly against his racing heartbeat beneath his shirt. "Now do you see? This is why I suggested our bedroom games. Sure, maybe I like it when you take charge, but this is what I really want. I figured it would be easier to entice romantic emotions out of you first, but this did just that. Your pain, your happiness, your fears, and faith. All your love and joy, anger and frustration. I want to feel it all like I feel your heart beating right now against my palm. Confident, steady…" She closed her eyes and felt her own heart rate quicken. "This is my rock," she whispered kindly. "This is where I feel safe. When everything else goes wrong, I know this will always be right. I'm free to be weak, afraid, uncertain. I don't always need to be strong. I'm not fighting for my life anymore because it's right here, in this steady beat." She opened her proud eyes and stared into his wide, trembling steel gaze. "I know that when things aren't perfect, we'll face the challenge together and soon, they will be. Just like this…"

.

Laxus' expression dropped with realisation.

.

"We joined here to grieve a good man, to share our sorrow." She looked up into the beautiful spring morning sunlight bathing them beneath the life of fresh new blooms showering their shadows on the ground. "Instead, we find ourselves in a quiet place, holding each other and falling more deeply in love."

.

"Neirah, I can't get any deeper or I'm gonna drown," he warned her in a broken, raspy tone.

.

She slowly slipped her hand down his chest and found his trembling fingertips so that she could intertwine them. "Then we'll drown together," she whispered breathlessly. "Because I promise that I'll never be from your side."

.

She wasn't even surprised when he threw his arms around her, squeezing her with his protective embrace as he crushed her against his chest. Her gaze was fleeting and bashful as she stared over his shoulder, her hands folding beneath his arms to clasp his shoulders underneath the weight of his coat. When she felt the dampness of his loving tears meeting her shoulder, she closed her eyes over blushing cheeks and clutched his tight to her body.

.

"Laxus," she whispered meekly. "You're shaking…"

.

"I love you," he rumbled out deeply. "I know… I know you don't care if I say it, but I just have to right now…" He rarely said it. It went back to the night they'd confessed their affections, she didn't need him to say it to feel it. But sometimes, in quiet moments, he liked the way it sounded on his lips.

.

"I love you too," she responded tenderly. "Now, a whole guild is mourning the loss of a great man… It's going to take an even greater one to help them stitch their broken hearts back together."

.

Laxus' gaze narrowed before closing entirely. He just continued to clutch her in the same position they lingered in, his face pressed against her crown to inhale her subtle scent. "You smell even more like springtime than spring does," he muttered softly.

.

"Laxus, the guild?" She teased.

.

"They can wait just a damn minute," he grunted possessively. "I just… wanna stay here for a bit." He smiled on top of her head with a blissful sigh. "I like how this feels…"

.

"Ok," she hushed. "Take your time. I'm right here…"

.

"You make me feel like a child."

.

"Hmn, not sure I know how to take that," she mused sceptically.

.

"You make me feel weak," he whispered softly. "Well, not like I'm weak but… like it's ok to be weak for just a minute."

.

"It's always been ok for you to be weak," she defended.

.

"But now I can feel it," he admitted roughly. He freed one of his hands to gather one of hers and readjust it to press just beneath just his sternum. "Right there," he educated. "Flappin' around like drunk birds."

.

Neirah snorted to try and hide her delight but she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Oh my god, you mean it gives you butterflies?!" More hysterics. "I have NEVER heard anyone say it like tha-"

.

Neirah's breath caught with her conclusion as he reached out and jerked her to his lips by her collar. She immediately humbled to the feeling of his shallow kiss and melted into the sensation. He may have been a clumsy brute, but he could always make her smile. As his grip on her wrist steadied, she folded her fingers like she was attempting to clutch his sensation. She silently meditated on his heat and enjoyed the tenderness in their embrace. There was nothing sensual about it, just devote affection filled with purpose. Her heart was a silent flutter with hope for her husband. He may have withheld his tears from the ceremony in the face of tragedy, but on two separate occasions, she'd watched him come undone. If for a moment, he wasn't afraid. He was true, and he was hers.

.


	9. Association ((ML))

_**Association**_

* * *

.

.

Neirah trudged through the living room tidying the assortment of new toys her son had received the week prior while the child was sound asleep in his bed. A dark cloud may have still lingered over Magnolia's city, but to an active four-year-old, no amount of sadness could keep him away from his toys forever.

.

She sighed and looked out her front window to where the rain beat steadily against the glass pane. Her attention soon refocused on the reflection of candlelight in the mirrored surface, and how it illuminated her husband sitting on the couch behind her. She quickly lowered her gaze to her armful of toys with a soft sigh.

.

With weary eyes, Laxus watched his wife start to scurry out of the room with her toys in tote. He had taken notice to her mousy demeanour in the past week, but with the weight of loss heavy in his heart, he hadn't had much energy to push the matter. That didn't stop it from hurting every time she avoided him.

.

But it was the way her eyes met his in the dark window's reflection, the way they apologised even though she had nothing to be sorry for. It burned him up. So, before she could escape his presence, he was lurching to life over the couch arm and capturing her by the waist. With minimal effort on his part, she was crashing backwards over the arm of the chair into his lap to the sound of all Alex's toys hitting the plush carpeted floor beneath her bare toes.

.

"Laxus." Her breathing hitched as she adjusted her aggressive tone. "Look what you've done. I just cleaned all of this up." Neirah shifted towards the purpose of standing for a moment before she was being thrust back into the soft cushions beneath her adjusting husband.

.

Laxus looked down at her with a rather lifeless expression, the same one he'd been wearing since the day he'd said goodbye to his grandfather. "Kinda thought I was past all this about people takin' off as soon as I enter a room… Have I really been so off-putting this last week?"

.

Neirah's heartbeat fluttered for her guilt as she sat up beneath him. "Of course not. Why would you ask me something like that?"

.

Neirah winced as her husband flopped over against the couch on his side, watching the rain pour from where his head was laid in her lap. "Because everyone's avoiding me like I'm contagious. Not to mention my own wife's been dancin' around in the dark like she's afraid to step on broken glass."

.

Neirah groaned and heaved an exhausted sigh as she tried to adjust her thighs more comfortably under his weight. "You have a heavy head," she chided.

.

"Deal with it," he quipped back firmly. "My fat head's not goin' anywhere until I get some damn attention."

.

Neirah smiled and gently swept her fingers through his hair. "Nobody is avoiding you, Laxus," she assured him kindly. "Especially not me."

.

He didn't turn to look at her as he captured her shifting hand and returned it to his head. "Pet me, woman."

.

Neirah stifled a chortle of amusement and obeyed. She knew that the sensation comforted him, it had for years. "We're not avoiding you," she repeated. "But you brood. You might not even realise you're doing it, but you have a thinking face." Her expression faltered sadly when he started to trace lazy circles over her thigh in front of his face. "A lot goes on in your head when you're quiet and nobody wants to interrupt you if you're grieving."

.

Laxus stared quietly into the droplets of rain glistening on their front window as he captured his wife's thigh like he was preparing to fluff a pillow. "There's nothin' to grieve…"

.

"Don't try to feed me that kind of indifference," she scolded. She grinned solemnly and gripped his roots for a gentle tug of warning. "Your wife is immune to your tough guy act."

.

"It's not an act," he assured her calmly. "The old man left no regrets behind him, he told me himself, and he lived a damn long life. It's not like he suffered…" He sighed and closed his eyes, backing his head up in her lap until he felt the warmth of her abdomen on his nape. "It's unavoidable… this shit happens…"

.

Neirah gently brushed the backs of her fingers over his exposed cheek and smiled. "That is a very mature thing to say…"

.

"It still hurts though," he admitted humbly. "He may've left nothin' behind, but when I think of how many years I wasted butting heads with him…" Laxus sighed and snuggled into her flannel pyjamas before gently kissing the material beneath him. "It just sucks…"

.

"I know," she whispered tenderly. "Your grandfather was an amazing man. He's well deserving of the monument the council erected in his name."

.

Laxus slowly opened his eyes and stared back out the window with a dim expression. "You know, it always bugged me, how hard he was on you…"

.

"Laxus-"

.

"Not done," he interrupted sternly. "I thought I had let it go when I saw him walk you down the aisle to me… It stayed. But that idiot brother of yours said somethin' to me the other day that stung."

.

"Oh? I didn't know you two shared a moment at the funeral."

.

"He was there to thank the old man for taking you in, both of you. He believes that he saved you two from beg, borrow and stealin' your way through the rest of your lives."

.

"Well, current accommodations considered, this is much more comfortable than a mildew dampened sheet on a soggy dirt floor," she teased. She was about to giggle when she felt her husband tense dismally in her lap so she withheld her playful merriment.

.

"But I kicked back," he murmured bleakly. "The old man was cold towards you since the day he learned you'd be stickin' around. I had no idea it was 'cause he knew all along that you weren't human."

.

"I wish he'd told me," Neirah teased. "That'd be a nice thing to know about yourself."

.

Laxus smiled softly as he reached out and captured her free hand for a kiss. "But he let you stay…"

.

"He did," she agreed softly. "So why did what my brother said bug you so much?"

.

"Because I was startin' to think the old man didn't have a heart, the way he shut you out. Just an innocent little kid who was always sick, who had nowhere to go, just like half of the other brats he took in. But I never caught him saying a damn kind thing to you."

.

"But he let me stay," she repeated her understanding.

.

"Yea… Even though he tried to protect me, protect the rest of the guild from what he knew was coming… even though he knew what you were the whole time, he couldn't turn that sick kid away."

.

Neirah's brow creased, her heart aching as she felt her husband's strong grip flex in the material of her sleep pants.

.

"He was just afraid to lose you as the rest of us…"

.

"Laxus…"

.

He snuggled gently into her thigh and sniffed back his emotion. "You know, he asked me once if I went after you just because I was told not to, and the truth I never told him was that maybe I did… I couldn't understand why he was so afraid of you, why it was so bad if I wanted to spend my time with a freaky cult kid. I'd never seen him act like that. I was so. _curious_. to know what made you tick. It's like… in a way and despite his crazy theories, he was the one that pushed me right into you…"

.

Neirah's stomach churned with emotion as she held him and stroked his hair. "You think your grandfather is the reason we fell in love?"

.

Laxus smiled humbly. "To be honest, I was surrounded by lookers back then. If it weren't for the little bit of mystery that drew me to you, I might never have found myself warming up to such a snarky little brat."

.

Neirah groaned and rolled her eyes at his back. "My husband, the shallow jerk."

.

Laxus finally rolled over onto his back and looked up at his pretty little wife. "You say it like you're surprised," he teased. "You knew exactly what you were gettin' yourself into, Princess. I didn't let up just because I felt sorry for you."

.

"No, you didn't let up at all," she teased. "You were pretty cold to me yourself, once."

.

"Yea well, I'm not the saint my grandpa was."

.

Neirah's smile grew less wicked and more genuine as she beamed down at her stirring husband. "I don't know," she mused. "You're alright by me, Sparky."

.

Laxus just smiled quietly and adjusted in her lap. "I missed this," he whispered hoarsely. "Don't get me wrong, I'm all for you dishin' out a little tough love every now and then, but this is what really gets me."

.

Neirah cocked her head to one side in silent observance. "Oh?"

.

Laxus lowered his voice to a dull rasp. "You're the only one who took the time to give a damn…"

.

Neirah's lips quirked to one side as she attempted to stifle her wry smile. "Just because you're durable doesn't mean that the hands to hold you have to be coarse…"

.

"Can you sing?"

.

Neirah's cheeks lit up like sirens with surprise as he posed his humble question to her. "I- what?"

.

"Well, I know you _can_ , I used to hear you sing all the time when-" Laxus cleared his throat awkwardly and diverted his gaze. "Or, well I…"

.

"It _was_ you," Neirah gasped softly. "I thought I kept catching your scent hovering around my house after you turned me down in Southgate Park." She narrowed her impatient glare on him like she was preparing to hold a grudge.

.

His response was to shift in an attempt to hide his own blushing. "Yea… it was me," he admitted guiltlessly. "When the weather was nice in the early evening, you'd always be singing and dancin' through your place."

.

"Why you creepy little – and _I'M_ the stalker."

.

"Don't act so surprised," he defended heatedly. "You knew I was crazy about you even after I let you off the hook in the park. And it wasn't like I went and sat outside your window pitchin' rocks. I just came back into town that way every now and then."

.

"Laxus, we live on the edge of town surrounded by water," she growled. "Like I've said before, I never could have been more out of your way."

.

"Doesn't matter. I walk where I wanna walk."

.

"To hear me sing?"

.

"Well, more specifically because you smelled like heaven."

.

"Oooo that's eerie, dragon slayer."

.

Laxus smiled his heart thumping strongly against the walls of his chest. "Everything about you calmed me down. Even if we couldn't be civil to each other face-to-face, it didn't change the fact that I was drunk on you."

.

"You charmer, you…"

.

Laxus closed his eyes again and sighed contentment even despite the sarcasm dripping from her words. "I don't get why you don't sing back at the guild. You clearly didn't inherit the ear-bleed from your brother. I bet you and Mira would sound great together."

.

Neirah reached down and gently poked his nose. "Don't think that I'm missing all these subtle 'you and Mira are great together' hints there, Sparky," she teased.

.

"I'm just sayin'-"

.

"Yes, and a few weeks ago you 'just said' that if you ever caught us conspiring against you again you'd tie us together and ship us across the sea."

.

"I- may have been drunk when I said that."

.

"There is no _may_ , you were."

.

"Jeez, I just think you two would probably sound good together."

.

"Screaming?"

.

"Singing! Fuck you're screwed up. Did I do that?"

.

"I'm kidding," Neirah teased wryly. "It's just nice to see you feeling a bit more like yourself."

.

Laxus looked back up at her peacefully. "So, will you?"

.

Neirah turned her flushed cheeks away and closed her eyes, trying to imagine she didn't have an audience.

.

"You get stage fright?" Laxus pried. "Seems weird when you consider that you dance in front of people all the time."

.

"It's nothing personal," she defended sternly. "I just… growing up, I only sang when I was sad. I don't want my music to depress people."

.

"You sing depressing apocalypse songs to our son all the time."

.

"Is that why you're late so many nights? Because you're standing outside listening to me sing our son to sleep?"

.

"Maybe…"

.

"You're the worst," she chided gleefully.

.

"Would you like a spotlight, Sweetheart?"

.

"Just… don't speak," she growled. She took another deep breath to steady her nerves before she started her humble song. She didn't know very many, and the ones she did know were passed on to her by her mother. They all tended to highlight Ryverika's legacy in verse, a rather meek verse. One, in particular, was favoured by her and sung to their child every night he was sad. But the true tragedy was that Alex would never know the mighty beast was his grandfather.

.

"When darkness blankets happy times, no hand will dry the tears we cry, but still we must look to the light, and follow words of He who guides." After the shaky first part of her hymn emitted, she turned her attention back to her peaceful husband who may as well have been her sleeping son in her lap. A small smile found her face as she continued and stroked his hair from his face. "There is a path for those who believe, although it might be hard to see, trust in He who shines infinitely, and let him be the light you see. Raining hope from He who shines, holding fast when all else dies; so may the shadows rise, may the shadows rise, so that He might know how bright He shines."

.

"I wish I had've met him."

.

Neirah's breath caught as she looked down to where Laxus was working on sitting up beside her.

.

"That old lizard of yours."

.

"R-really?"

.

Laxus rolled a kink from his neck beneath his palm. "Yea. Y'know to… thank him for lookin' out for me all those years…" He smiled and slowly turned to face his wife. "And for keepin' me around so I could fall for a shadow…"

.

Neirah's smile grew sentimental as a result of his comment. "So you finally admit that I was Ryverika's Shadow?"

.

Laxus shook his head in denial as he neared her and brought their brows together. "But you're _my_ light. An angel… with broken wings…"

.

Neirah nuzzled into his warmth with a meek grin. "Am I not perfect in your eyes?" She whispered. "Why broken?"

.

"Because that's the only reason I can justify why you stayed with a deadbeat like me rather than flyin' back up there with your old man…" Laxus opened his eyes and watched sapphire orbs glisten as he raised his hands to either side of her face. "And if the god-dragon entrusted me to look out for his daughter, that's what I'm gonna do."

.

"Ryverika wasn't a god," she corrected gently.

.

"Then I think you're adopted."

.

Neirah closed her eyes and returned his kiss through her smile. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

.

"I never felt bad," he rumbled edgily. "Here I thought this was all part of your schemes to break me."

.

"Why, is it working?"

.

"Hell yes."

.

Neirah smiled and raised her hands to his. "Well, would you look at that. Angel to demon in three seconds."

.

"I can't hate an angel from time to time?"

.

Neirah rattled her head from side to side. "Don't think that's what you're supposed to do," she mused impishly.

.

All of a sudden, the rain hammering on their roof got stronger until the ruckus was encouraging Neirah to raise her gaze from her snuggly husband's. "Wow, the rain's really coming down. I can't remember the last time it rained this much…"

.

"Spring time'll do that." Laxus tried to remain casual, but he could see the tension brewing in his wife as she stirred from the couch. "Besides, I thought you liked the rain."

.

"I do," she argued. "But rain this hard also brings something I don't li-" Neirah covered her ears with a startled shriek as lightning split the skies wide open with a devastating flash, the snap of booming percussion shaking their humble home. "That!" She whined frantically. "It also brings that!"

.

Neirah's breath caught as she was embraced by the man who'd stood up with her in anticipation of her discomfort. She sighed as relaxation gripped her the moment protective arms wrapped silently around her trembling figure, his gentle words against her ear.

.

"You still don't do storms, huh?"

.

"I just don't understand why it has to come out of nowhere like that," she whined. "It makes my heart beat so fast that it hurts…"

.

Laxus slipped away from her for a moment and listened to the rumbling echo out of comprehension, and to his surprise, no hysteric wails of alarm were sounding off in his son's room where he slept. "Alex seems to sleep right through 'em."

.

"Good for Alex," she rattled out sceptically. She was throwing herself into her husband's arms again with another alarmed whimper as the storm rocked the earth once more. "God, make it stop, would you?" She mewled frantically.

.

"You know it doesn't work like that," he groaned. He draped one palm on the top of her head as he tried to keep her from cutting off circulation at his waist. "I can't believe I've never asked this before. Do you have bad associations with storms or somethin'?"

.

"Just you," she chided.

.

Laxus paled, his gaze mellowing grimly. "Gee, thanks." He looked down at his quivering wife before shifting his gaze out their window to where the rain hammered down against the window pane. "But no repressed cult trauma?"

.

"I don't think so," she mewled with her sensitive ears covered. "It has nothing to do with fear or bad memories. I just don't like them! Like how you don't like ninety percent of vegetables. They can't hurt you and they're certainly not scary. People just-" Neirah raised her voice over the next crack. "Have different tastes!"

.

"Hey," he instigated gruffly. "Are you still feelin' sorry for me?"

.

Neirah noticeably flinched. "What? Why would you ask me that?"

.

"'Cause I wanna do somethin'…"

.

Neirah cocked a brow suspiciously. "Like what?"

.

Laxus captured her by her wrist and carted her swiftly through their home towards the back of it. She remained relatively complacent with his lead until he reached the back door to their home and threw it open to the sight of lightning splitting the sky.

.

Neirah jerked her arm free and covered her ears with a shrill cry. "Laxus, what on earth are you thinking?!"

.

"I'm thinking you need some positive associations with storms."

.

Neirah shrieked as she was captured around her waist and thrown over his broad shoulder. Her eyes widened as she watched him step towards the door, but before she could panic enough to free herself, he was slamming it behind them.

.

"Laxus this is NOT funny!" She demanded passionately. "If I have to use magic to get out of this I am going to be most cross!"

.

"Relax, Princess," he sassed. "You're already wet."


	10. Just Another Day at the Office ((ML))

_**Just another Day at the Office**_

* * *

.

.

"Is everything ok, Master?"

.

Laxus could feel the heat flood to his face as he flinched like Mirajane had startled him even though she'd spent the last six minutes explaining the paperwork beneath his palm. He was about to yell at her for appearing out of nowhere to startle him, but he figured that wouldn't help his cause. "Yea, it's fine," he deluded. "I'm on it." Now if he could only figure out what significance the previously described document beneath him held.

.

Mira straightened with a gentle knot in her face before laying the back of her palm against her guild master's brow. "You're lying…"

.

Laxus grunted his acknowledgement and cut his narrowed gaze towards her while he shooed her hand from his face. "You sound like my wife," he mumbled dismally.

.

Mira withdrew her hand and mounted both fists on her hips. "That's probably because we share a like amount of _common sense_ ," she cut back informatively. "I think you need to have a talk with your wife, mister. She doesn't see how much this affects you at work. You look awful." Mira noticeably shivered when Laxus cut a sharp and venomous gaze towards her. 'Well somebody doesn't want to stop…'

.

"I said I'm fine," he repeated coldly. The tone of his voice and the dismissal of his gaze warned Mira that the discussion was over.

.

This was something that Mira couldn't accept. She stood her ground and splayed both palms over the top of his desk with a determined look on her face. "I know you're obviously enjoying whatever you two are doing with each other, but you have to remember who you are outside your house. You're Fairy Tail's guild master and a lot of our members look up to you for guidance." She watched, frustrated, as his weary gaze skirted away. "You almost let a six-year-old go out on a job all on their own the other day."

.

Laxus' expression grew solemn and his mistakes were laid out irrefutably before him.

.

Mira's voice grew more nurturing as she continued. "Is it all really worth losing yourself for?"

.

"Finding myself," he corrected huskily. He slowly returned his attention to his supportive friend. "A little bit at a time… she's taking away all the pain. I used to drink to numb it, to forget. This feels the same way but it lasts. She's bad for me, not that bad."

.

Mirajane hitched her hip against his desk and watched him tug at the hair on his nape. It had been one of the habits she'd noticed he'd picked up over the last few years. "She told me that the nightmares stopped, is that true?"

.

He smiled to think about it. "For the most part, yea."

.

Mira's brow creased with her concern. "Then why do you always look so exhausted? It's even worse than when the dreams kept you up."

.

Laxus started to fidget with some paperwork on his desk, trying not to focus too much on the memories of risqué activities to take place on the top of it two weeks prior. "That's probably because I get a total of six hours of sleep a week," he rumbled grimly. "A couple days ago I actually went to sleep on the couch just to get her out of my senses." He sighed and worked his clammy palm over his face. "I woke up in her lap on our bed the next morning. I don't have a damn clue how I got there…"

.

"That's not too strange," she mused thoughtfully. "You've managed to make it miraculously home after some pretty hairy nights out."

.

"I'm more aware when I'm drunk…"

.

Mirajane giggled musically. "I think research says you're supposed to be the opposite."

.

"Yea? And research would also suggest my wife do the opposite of turning into a savagely sexual deviant after five years of marriage," he groaned.

.

Mira's expression paled. "I wouldn't say _savage_ ," she crooned. She shook her head and tried to derail the trajectory of their conversation. "It just seems like you're replacing the habits for something a little less self-destructive."

.

"Do you even know my wife?" Laxus growled under his breath. "I'd live longer drinking myself stupid every night…"

.

"What was that?" She cooed innocently.

.

"Nothing…" Laxus' lips curled subtly to one side. "It won't be for long," he assured her. "It's just been months since there've been no rules. The games are fun, but…"

.

"Hmhm, well I'll be," Mira crooned. "She's making a hunter out of her lazy lover."

.

Laxus turned and glared at her dismally. "Not you too."

.

"Oh come on, it's not like it's a secret," she harassed. She leant forward with a playful wink and held out one of her fingers. "Back when we dated, I had to make all the moves."

.

Laxus shielded her gaze from his flushing face with a flattened palm. "Just gonna keep throwin' that in my face, huh?"

.

"That's not what I meant," she sang spiritedly. "It's just nice to see that you're putting effort into a relationship for once."

.

Laxus lunged forward in his seat a little more passionately than Mira's calm, sunny expression should have encouraged. "Y'know it's people like you that give me a bad name."

.

"Nah, you do a lot of that yourself."

.

Laxus leant back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. "Man, you're just gonna keep on saltin' that wound…"

.

"Don't pout now." Mira beamed delight as she stifled her gentle laughter with her fingertips. "Unfortunately, until you get back a little more leash, you'll just have to accept it."

.

He groaned and itched at the naked skin where he wished his collar was sitting. "I still have to check the mirror every day before I leave for the guild. Make sure it's not still on from the night before."

.

"Wouldn't that be something," she mused energetically. "I'm just waiting for the morning Alex comes in wondering when you'll be getting a dog."

.

"Not until he gets a baby sister."

.

Mira's expression twisted sentimentally. "Awe, you're still trying?"

.

Laxus looked up at her guiltily. "That's why this all started. We're close now…"

.

"I hope it happens soon then," Mirajane announced upon parting. "I hate to see you so worked up."

.

"Worth it," he refuted.

.

Mira giggled musically as she hung in the doorway. "Alright, Master. It's almost Alex and Lilian's lunchtime. I'd better go feed the baby dragons before they get adventurous."

.

Laxus grunted acknowledgement.

.

"Try not to work yourself too hard."

.

"Yea, yea…"

.

"And I don't just mean here either," she warned. "Or I'll tattle to your wife."

.

Laxus cut his venomous gaze her way. "Don't. you. dare."

.

Mirajane stuck her tongue out playfully before retreating down the hallway. "Did you want anything from the kitchen?" She called back.

.

"Coffee," he barked in retort. "Make it right or I'll riot." He could hear Mirajane's amused snicker even as she neared the end of the hall claiming that she'd love to see such a spectacle. No, a riot was coming, but he seriously hoped only two would be present for that particular meltdown.

.

A few hours along with a few cups of coffee passed the time that he'd spent at the guild, but all the caffeine in the world couldn't keep him focused. Despite very infrequent visits to the bulk of the guild trying to keep him on task, he mostly just ended up doodling squiggly lines all over his scrap paper. He grumbled and cursed as he came across an important document that had been victim to his absent scrawling. Frustrated, he drew the document forth and started to undo his mistake.

.

"Dad! Dad, daddy!" Alex was howling his announcement down the hall and storming his father's office enthusiastically. "Dad! Dad, look!"

.

Laxus groaned as he tried to focus on restoring his paperwork with oily cookie crumbs raining down across the desk his son attempted to climb. "I see it," he assured quietly.

.

"No, you gotta look, dad! Miss Mira made it 'specially for me! You gotta look!"

.

Laxus heaved a heavy sigh and spared the toddler the swiftest of glances before returning to his desk. "Yea, I see it. Pretty cool."

.

Alex puffed out his cheeks, leaning against his folded arms as his feet kicked against the hardwood front of the desk he was still focused on coming over. "You barely even looked!"

.

Laxus' body tightened irately as his erasing and restoration of his mindless scribbling caused the council document to tear beneath rough hands.

.

"You gotta look better!"

.

"Alex, I saw it." Even Laxus flinched with how callous his words emitted in the silent office. He immediately regretted snapping back so unintentionally abrasive towards the boy.

.

Alex remained silent, his smile faded as he slowly climbed off his father's desk. As soon as the youth's head disappeared from his line of vision, Laxus sighed and closed his eyes, resting his heavy head in his hands. "Alex, I'm sorry…" His heart sank when there came no reply, the soft padding of Alex's retreating feet breaking his heart. As soon as he heard the young boy sniff back tears, he was climbing to his feet.

.

Before Alex could sulk out of his dad's office, Laxus was on his heels and capturing him by the hood of his sweater. He tried to squirm free, but his father's hold remained persistent. Soon, the youth was crashing back into his kneeling father's chest. He started to wipe at his tears fiercely to conceal them from the father who'd laid his lips on the top of the boy's head.

.

"D'you hear me, Champ?"

.

Alex shook his head and sniffed back disappointment. "I heard…"

.

Laxus shifted his face against the back of his son's dark auburn locks. "Can I see your cookie?"

.

Alex whimpered and hid it from his father's view.

.

"You don't want me to see it now?"

.

Alex slowly adjusted to the tone in his father's voice, allowing his small hands to show his father the large lightning bolt shaped cookie iced in neon colours.

.

"That's a pretty cool cookie. And Mira made it just for you?"

.

Alex nodded his pout.

.

Laxus sat back on the floor and released his son, allowing the boy to scamper away if that was what he really wanted. "Why a lightning bolt?" Laxus interrogated kindly. "S'it because your old man uses lightning magic?"

.

Alex's expression grew a little less hurt as he turned to face his father to answer. It always amazed Laxus with how quickly his child could forgive and forget. He wished that he had had a bit of that when he was still a boy. "It's because Miss Mira asked Lily and me what kind of magic we wanted to learn when we grew up."

.

Laxus expression humbled warmly as his son started to crawl into his lap.

.

"Lightning's the coolest, just like my dad! I want to learn how to use lightning magic too."

.

Laxus dropped his palm on top of Alex's head to ruffle his hair. "Give it some time," Laxus assured him confidently. "There's a ton of awesome magic out there that's way cooler than your dad's."

.

"Not true!" Alex defended passionately. "No body's magic is awesomer than my dads!"

.

"Hmn, n'I have a bite of your cookie?"

.

Alex leant clumsily over his father's one raised knee and offered the cookie to his father's face. Instead of taking a bite, Laxus chomped down on the cookie and pulled back until the entire thing came out of his son's lax grip.

.

"Hey! You said a bite!"

.

Laxus avoided the boy's grabby hands by turning away and taking his promised bite. He still hadn't returned the cookie though. Instead, he played keep away for a playful moment. Finally, he surrendered the remaining cookie to his alarmed son who proceeded to scarf the rest of it swiftly in his father's lap. "Not quite as good as your mom's, huh?"

.

Alex shook his head. "Mom makes best cookies."

.

Laxus smiled and draped an arm around his feisty boy. "You ever think maybe that's your mom's magic?"

.

Alex turned and spewed crumbs all over the office floor with his amused hysterics. "Whahahat? Mom's a cookie wizard?!" He giggled uncontrollably to the thought.

.

"Yea," Laxus rumbled certainly. "Maybe your mom's been a wizard all this time and just never told us."

.

"Cookie magic isn't all that cool, dad," Alex announced confidently. "She should have cooler magic."

.

Laxus expression warmed as he watched his son's wheels start to turn. "And what kind of magic do you think would be cool enough for your mom? Do you think she should use lightning like your dad?" If only his son knew what the bolts on his favourite sweater symbolized.

.

Alex seemed to ponder this question thoroughly before shaking his head. "No, she should have magic like Miss Mira."

.

"Transformation magic?" Laxus stomach churned. He didn't like where his son was going with such a sentiment. "Isn't your mom great enough just like she is…?"

.

Alex shrugged, sending daggers into his father's heart. "Yea, but she could be cooler."

.

"How so…?"

.

Alex turned and beamed a goofy, single-fanged grin his father's way. "She'd be pretty cool if she was a dragon, huh?"

.

Laxus shuddered with immediate guilt.

.

"Yea! Just like the scale great-grandpa gave me!" Alex turned his curious gaze to his father. "Do dragons really exist dad?! Do they look just like the pictures in my books!?"

.

Laxus couldn't deal with the unbearable tension in the room as his conscience slowly chiselled away at his resolve. "You know, your dad's got a lotta work to do…"

.

"You work a lot," Alex chided competently. He finished his cookie and flashed bright blue eyes up at his father. "We don't play a lot anymore."

.

"Your dad's just got a lot on his plate right now, that's all."

.

"Are you sure?"

.

Laxus tried to hide his small smile for Alex's persistence as the two climbed to their feet. "Pretty sure…"

.

"Are you sure it's not 'cause mom is being mean?"

.

Laxus actually snickered as he turned and looked down at his son. "Why would you think your mom's being mean to me?"

.

"Well… she hit you. Hitting's not nice, dad, and sometimes I hear her getting you in trouble."

.

Laxus nearly groaned. His innocent toddler was not helping him get his mind off things. "That's because your dad said a bad word and had to be taught a lesson. She gets me in trouble so I don't do it again."

.

"Then who gets mom in trouble?"

.

Laxus shook his head with a smile. "At the twenty questions stage, huh?"

.

"Twenty of them?"

.

"Look, sometimes your old man's bad, and your mom has to remind him not to be bad."

.

"But you're the awesomest… You can't be bad…"

.

"Trust me, I can," Laxus assured him gently. "And if I don't get this work done, she's gonna come in here and kick my a-butt. She'll kick it hard."

.

"Nu-uh! I'll make her stop! I'll use my lightning magic and tell her that you're not bad!"

.

"That so?" Alex started running around the room making the sounds of thunder as he threw his arms around the air. "Go show Lily your awesome magic," he encouraged. "I'll just finish up this cra- stuff and then we can head home."

.

"Cool!"

.

Laxus heaved a relieved sigh when his son vacated the premises. "Way too close," he murmured dismally. "That kid's gonna be the death of me…"

.

"Gee, don't that sound familiar."

.

Laxus caught his breath and raised his gaze to where Gajeel was leaning in the doorway with a smug smile on his face.

.

"I remember sayin' that for years about a certain little shadow of my own."

.

Laxus sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "Between the two of them, I'll be dead before I'm forty."

.

"See, I didn't get soft on ya," Gajeel crooned devilishly. He invited himself into his guild master's office and pulled up the spare chair. "I just started to pity ya after you hooked up with the little nightmare."

.

Laxus sat in his own office chair and braced his arms on the surface of his desk. "Not that much pity," he cautioned. "Admit it, if you weren't so drunk on our wedding night, you would have broken your guitar over my face."

.

"Idiot. I don't care how old she gets, that's still my kid sister and thinkin' 'bout what comes after the wedding don't sit well with any half-decent big brother," Gajeel sassed.

.

"You just be lovin' life now," Laxus chirped sarcastically.

.

"Don't push it, Sparkplug," Gajeel warned with the toss of an accusing finger. "Just seein' mini-Shads runnin' around the guild is proof enough that I shoulda taken your hands _years_ ago."

.

"You suck at small talk," Laxus patronized. "Like I know you just heard me tell my son, I got shit to do."

.

"My kid sister don't count."

.

"For fuck's sake, is everyone bent on driving me to drink again?"

.

"Gihihi, you say that like you stopped," he instigated. "That might work on Mira and the other's but I got a schnoz that knows better. What? Bottom right drawer?"

.

" _What_ do you want?" Laxus growled impatiently.

.

"Not what _I_ want," the iron dragon corrected sternly. "Lev wants to know if you guys'll come out with us this week. She's makin' me ask 'cause she doesn't have the guts to come in here and tell you you look like shit."

.

"Can't see why not, everyone else has," Laxus muttered bleakly. "You jerks do wonders for my self-esteem."

.

"Well, it's been a while anyway, since the four of us did something without the rugrats hangin' around. Juvia's agreed to babysit and all."

.

"I'll run it by the wife," he agreed. "But the chances of that saving me are slim so I'd expect us to be there."

.

"I'll get Levy to slip the details to Shads then. She didn't tell me jack shit so I'm assumin' that we're goin' somewhere I ain't gonna like."

.

"It's public, of course you're not gonna like it."

.

"Not true!" Gajeel raged. "Sometimes I like to do public stuff!"

.

"I can feel my brain cells knockin' off just talking to you."

.

"Fuck off," Gajeel growled. "You can't even pull the king shit card anymore. Not now that I know what you've been up to. Gihiii…"

.

Laxus rolled his eyes with the flash of Gajeel's sadistic smirk. "If you think a three-foot strap of leather's gonna keep me from kickin' your ass, you'd better have a plan B."

.

"Does she have a little dog house set up and everythin'?" Gajeel didn't even hide his menacing grin as Laxus shifted a deadly side-glance his way. "Does she make you eat outta a bowl on the floor and go out-"

.

Big mistake.

.

Mirajane swished to one side to balance a tray of drinks in her fingers as her smiling expression dodged the statically charged iron dragon who was shot backwards right out of the guild master's office. She giggled softly and shook her head at their antics. "Alright, who needs a refill?!"


	11. Maternal Layers ((ML))

_**Maternal Layers**_

* * *

.

.

"Daddddyyyy!"

.

Laxus' gaze flew open, and luckily, he'd had the good sense to put his tongue back behind his teeth before he snapped them together to grind. He whirled to face their closed bedroom door, praying that the screeching toddler crying out to them in tears wasn't going to burst into their room.

.

Neirah instantly flew up in bed, tearing her restraint from behind her dried lips as she clutched her gown to her previously naked bust. "Oh no, Alex," she whimpered sadly. She adjusted her nightgown straps up on her shoulders, one hand fanning her flushed cheeks. "He must have had another bad dream…"

.

Neirah was just about to stand when she caught her breath behind Laxus' encouraging palm.

.

"He said daddy, right?" He reassured tenderly. He slowly climbed to his feet and adjusted his pants, a groan of discomfort following. "I'll go…"

.

Neirah reached out to him, her fingertips gentle on his arm as she batted concern in her calm gaze. "You always go to him…"

.

Laxus looked down at her and smiled meekly. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her it was because he feared that his son would reject her when he so clearly begged for his father as he cried. "No offence, Princess, but you're a mess," he chided. A hot, beautiful mess that he wanted to ravage for hours to come. "It's fine, really. I'll just tell him I scared all the monsters away and put 'im back to bed."

.

Neirah smiled sheepishly and stroked her hair from her face. "Alright," she whispered quietly. "Don't be too long."

.

"Right," he nodded knowingly. "He's got five minutes to get it together before I give him a shot of whiskey. That should put him out for a few hours."

.

"Don't you dare!" She barked feverishly.

.

Laxus turned his sinister grin over his shoulder to face his frantic wife. "Kidding," he crooned. "Yea, jeez, wouldn't want him to end up like his dad or anythin'."

.

Neirah nearly swooned as she ached to kiss the fangs she noticed catching the moonlight in her handsome beast's smile. She didn't get to enjoy it for long though because moments later she was lunging towards him as he opened their bedroom door. "Laxus wait," she breathed out in terror.

.

He grunted acknowledgement and paused as she leapt towards him and wrapped her hands around his neck. His face coloured for his mistake as she slowly unclasped his collar and pulled it off of his neck. He raised his fingers to his throat, immediately feeling naked, albeit saner, with the article removed. "Shit, close call," he murmured quietly. He leant forward and gave his wife a tender kiss on her flushed cheek. His expression humbled tenderly as he spoke quietly upon parting. "Wait for me," he rasped.

.

Neirah's heart melted until she thought she was looking up at him from a puddle on the floor. It took a lot of self-restraint to keep from dragging her husband back into their room and throwing him down onto their bed. That restraint had a name. Feeling her legs really were becoming too weak to stand, she leant herself against her doorframe and just watched her husband stride down the hall towards his son's room. Despite his bulky and coarse exterior, she believed that her man was put on the planet to be a father.

.

Her expression faltered maternally as she shifted his collar to one side of her hips so that she could lay her free hand on her lean tummy. "Soon, Daddy," she whispered blissfully.

.

Laxus started by slowly opening his son's door to the sound of the boy's sniffles but as soon as Alex let out another terrified shriek, the man was tossing the door wide and igniting the lights on swift approach. "Alex?" He rumbled sternly. "Hey Champ, wake up, it's me."

.

Alex tossed another couple times in his sleep with Lucky clutched tightly in his grip. It took Laxus laying his hands on the boy to stir him from his deep sleep. Alex woke in a startled frenzy and at first, he shied away from his father. As soon as he noticed it was his concerned dad, he lunged forward and threw his arms around him for comfort.

.

Laxus sighed dismally, his heart aching as his boy dampened his bare chest with his frightful tears. "It's ok buddy," he mumbled meekly. "I've got you…"

.

Alex lingered in a whimpering mess against his father's embrace for a long moment and Laxus refused to interrupt him. It was true, he was desperate to return to his wife and their bed, but he just couldn't bring himself to brush off his boy's fears. He loved Alex every bit that he loved his wife and in his eyes. He may have cherished them differently, but if either of them hurt when he had the power to stop the pain, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

.

He shifted his gentle gaze to where his son had started whimpering, his snivels becoming less passionate as he exhausted himself. "Ready to talk about it?" He rumbled tenderly.

.

Alex drew his arm sleeve to his face and started to wipe at his swollen eyes, his face flushed with pain and humiliation. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

.

Laxus flinched, his bemused expression flashing wildly. "What the hell for?"

.

"'Cause… 'cause tough guys don't cry…"

.

Laxus' brow knotted in distress as he watched his whimpering son try to hide his face. "Man, you really are your mom's kid. Apologising for nonsense," he muttered softly. He took his son's face in one hand and wiped his tears with the opposing thumb. "Who told you that? Was it your uncle Gajeel? 'Cause I'll tell you somethin', I've seen him bawl like a baby."

.

Alex shook his head with a heart-wrenching expression filled with guilt. "No, Daddy."

.

Laxus shifted his son over a bit so that he could sit on the side of his bed. "Well then, spill," he teased. He ran his fingers through his son's hair, peeling the sweat-dampened strands from the child's hot brow. "Where's this comin' from?"

.

Alex shook his head softly and looked away. "I just… well…" Sniff. "You never cry… I just want to be tough like you, but nothing scares you." Alex looked disdainfully to one side. "I'm scared of lots of stuff…"

.

Laxus blinked strongly, trying to get his thoughts together before he spoke. He couldn't even count the number of times he'd fallen apart in his wife's arms, and unintentionally, the child had resurfaced every fear Laxus had ever had. "Alex, what makes you think I don't cry?"

.

Alex wiped his running nose on his sleeve. "Well… you didn't cry at great-grandpa's funeral… Everyone else was, but you didn't. I tried not to, but I couldn't keep my eyes from hurting."

.

Laxus diverted his gaze and pondered his words again. It was good to go over your work before submitting. "That's because your old man's got a pretty tough job to do," he stated calmly. "He's gotta make sure that _everyone_ stays strong. He's gotta give them hope when it looks like it's lost. Your great-grandfather was like a dad to the entire guild. Everyone looked up to him." He weakened a little more when his wife's glossy cerulean gaze turned and stared back at him through its devastation. "So now, even though it hurts, I gotta be the one that they can look up to for strength."

.

"Does that mean it's weak to cry?"

.

Laxus sighed his exhaustion. He never thought explaining such simple principles could be so tiring. " _I_ don't think so."

.

"Then why do you have to not cry to show the other people you're strong?"

.

"Let's try it this way, kiddo," he started awkwardly. "Your great-grandpa wouldn't want people to be sad when he was gone, he'd want them to be happy. He'd want them to continue to live a good life so that when he's lookin' down on them, he can be happy that they're happy. If they were all sad, he would be sad that he caused them to be sad, see it?"

.

Alex bowed his head grimly. "So, I make great-grandpa sad?"

.

Laxus wanted to hit his face off a wall until he bled out. "I don't know what you want me to say, Champ," he admitted sadly. "I don't know what's gonna make you feel better. Being strong isn't always about hiding your pain and fears, sometimes, it's just about doing what you think is right. And not everyone's just born strong like your great-grandpa. They have to find what makes them strong and believe in that when they feel afraid."

.

"Like the other people in the guild?"

.

Laxus smiled humbly. "Like your old man…"

.

Alex threw his hands down onto his bed in utter outrage. "No way! My daddy was born stronger than anybody!"

.

"Think again, pal," he chided playfully. "Your dad was a mess before your mom got a hold of me. If it weren't for her reminding me to push my chair in after dinner and to eat my vegetables, I'd be screwed."

.

"You're afraid of vegetables?!"

.

Laxus knotted his face in abhor. "And what if I am? Are you pickin' on your old man?"

.

Alex quickly bowed his head into his hands. "No, sir!"

.

Laxus dropped his hand on his boy's head and ruffled his wild mane. "Lots of stuff scares me, but you and your mom help me be strong."

.

"Me too…?" Alex mewled in wonder.

.

"Yup," he crooned proudly. "Because not comin' home doesn't work for me. No matter what I have to do, I have to be here to make sure you and your mom are safe."

.

Alex whimpered softly as he crawled out from beneath his blankets and sat cross-legged in front of his father. "From what?"

.

"From anything," Laxus assured him. "From your bad dreams."

.

"You can protect people from bad dreams?!"

.

He smiled down at his boy confidently. "Well sure. You've had bad dreams before, but then I come in to see you and scare them away. That's why you're able to go back to sleep."

.

"But can you stop them from coming at all?"

.

Laxus lowered his gaze and shifted it subtly to his peripherals with a tender smile; his sense filled with the presence of his wife lingering in their son's doorway. "Nah, only your mom can do that."

.

"What?! No way!"

.

"Yup." Laxus turned his attention back to his youth. "Your dad used to have bad dreams all the time. There was a big scary monster in them and he hurt all your dad's friends… he hurt your mom. And nothing scares your dad more than the thought of someone hurting you or your mom."

.

"Couldn't you just fight the monster with your awesome magic?"

.

Laxus' throat worked as he tried not to spoil that his magic was part of the cause for his frequent night terrors. "Some things magic just can't fix, buddy," he assured. "But then one day, your mom came into one of my dreams and beat the monster up pretty good. Then, she put a pink collar on him and walked him around like he was a dog 'cause he was so scared of getting his as- butt beat again."

.

Alex burst into spontaneous fits of laughter, his arms recoiling over his gut as he rolled around on the bed. "You're lying!"

.

Laxus shook his head. "Nope, lying's bad remember?"

.

All in an instant, Alex had grown suspiciously silent. "Yea," Alex murmured sheepishly. "It is, right?"

.

"Sure is-" Laxus caught his breath, his heart sinking as his son diverted his sad expression. A look of utter mortification crossed his features as his paranoia twisted his gut imagining the thoughts racing through his child's mind. "It… is…" Laxus repeated grimly.

.

"Dad…"

.

Laxus' heart started to palpitate so fast that if he'd eaten supper, he'd be losing it. His son was smart and it was pretty obvious where his quick wit came from. His mother. It may have taken Neirah years to figure out she was a dragon, but she figured it out. She figured it all out by listening, researching. Laxus and Neirah had spun a pretty defensive web of misguidance around their son. The members of the guild weren't to speak of dragons or dragon slaying magic under any circumstances when Alex was around. All his books were read by his mother before they ever made it into his tiny hands. The last thing the needed was the Dragon Histoire to fall into his curious paws. But Laxus had always dreaded that it wouldn't be enough. And if his son had already figured it out, he had no idea how he was going to handle defusing the situation.

.

"Did my great, great grandpa really meet a dragon?"

.

Laxus nearly breathed his utter relief right in front of his curious son. "Where else do you think the scale came from?"

.

"I don't know," Alex muttered sadly. "But uncle Gajeel told Lily that the dragons have been gone for over four hundred years…"

.

Laxus' throat worked dryly. He knew it wasn't going to be easy keeping all their stories together. Too many of the old generation had a history with the mighty beasts to contain. "Well, your great-grandfather lived over a hundred years ago."

.

"But not four hundred," Alex whined. "I hear people talk about dragons sometimes…"

.

'I'll be puttin' an end to that.'

.

"But every time I ask them to tell me stories, they say they weren't talking about dragons. And I know, 'cause I got good ears like you too, Dad."

.

"You wanna meet a dragon pretty bad, don't you?"

.

"Yea," Alex agreed sadly. "I want to find the dragon that met my great, great grandpa. I want to find him and tell him how awesome he is." Alex tightened his grip in his sheets as his face knotted angrily. "But I'm scared of them too. Dragons in my books are so big and scary! They could chomp my whole face off in one bite!"

.

Laxus smiled solemnly as he forced himself not to chime in that a real dragon could eat their whole house and use a tree for a toothpick. "They can be pretty scary, but not as scary as your mom when you don't eat your vegetables."

.

"Ah!" Alex shrieked and dove back under his covers. "Don't tell her I dropped one on the floor on purpose!"

.

Laxus cocked a brow with a low growl. "You told me that was an accident," he warned.

.

"I didn't lie! It was accidentally on purpose!" He defended.

.

Laxus tucked his son in and laid a hard kiss on the boy's brow. "Alright, deal. I won't tell her if you don't tell her that I threw mine in the garbage while she wasn't looking."

.

Alex gasped in awe. "I didn't think of that!"

.

"And don't go thinkin' about it again, you hear?" Laxus warned playfully. "Or your scary dragon mom's gonna be the first to hear about it." Nothing had felt so good as being able to subtly conceal the truth to his son as he raised from the bedside.

.

"You're scared of mom?!"

.

Laxus shrugged. "She has the power to control people's dreams. I don't know about you, but I'm not real fussy on the idea of having nightmares every night for the rest of my life."

.

"Ah!" Alex scooted further under his covers with another frightened yelp. "I'll be good!"

.

"S'What I thought," Laxus mused confidently. He strode across the room and killed the light, sparing his son one final glance. "Night, Champ."

.

"Dad?"

.

"Hm?"

.

"Can we go to find the dragon together?"

.

Laxus heart sank with guilt.

.

"You know… so we can be each other's bravery. 'Cause I wanna come home too and have lots of cool adventures with you."

.

Laxus smiled softly. "I'll go as long as we can bring your mom." He didn't wait for Alex's denial. "Maybe she can give the dragon bad dreams if he doesn't eat his vegetables."

.

"Dad! Dragon's don't eat vegetables!" Alex popped his head out from under the covers in heated defence.

.

"How do you know?" Laxus crooned devilishly. "They might eat all sorts of things like vegetables, strawberries and fishy rice."

.

"Nuh uh! They eat fire and stuff!"

.

"Maybe not all of them," Laxus assured him confidently. "But when we find one, we'll ask them what they like to eat. Let's just hope it's not little boys that talk about them behind their back."

.

"So awesome," he heard the boy sing. "Goodnight, Daddy."

.

Laxus smiled and started to close the door behind him with a contented smile on his face. "Goodnight, Alex…"

.

He rubbed the perspiration from the back of his neck with a relieved sigh. He hated feeling like his entire life was a lie. He hated how smart his son was. Just like his mom… They wouldn't be able to keep the truth from him forever. Dragons were in his blood. He was glad that Makarov had given the boy Ryverika's scale, it belonged in their family, but another part of him feared that it was only a supporting piece of the puzzle Alex was starting to put together. He'd have to bring everyone to council in the morning to make sure that they all had their damn stories straight.


	12. A Magical World ((ML))

**_A Magical World_**

* * *

 ** __**.

.  
Neirah was suspicious as she quietly swept through her house to the sound of silence. In fact, her heart was racing about as quickly as her bare feet were carrying her. "Alex?" Color started to drain from her expression when she wasn't offered a response.

.

She reached the top of the stairs in her home before shuffling towards her son's bedroom door and throwing it open while simultaneously praying he wasn't at the back of it. "Alex?!" Between her accelerated tone filled with panic and her thundering heart, she had almost missed the gentle snivel to emit from across the hall. Her lips parted, her brow furrowed in vexation. Even though relief should have started to settle her riled nerves, she couldn't help but panic for the fact that her four-year-old's sniffle was coming from her and her husband's bedroom.

.

She swiftly padded towards the partially opened door with a heavy heart and shoved it open to see her toddler sitting in the centre of their California king buried beneath the regal sky white fluff of his father's Wizard Saint jacket. She sighed her concern as she invited herself into the room, watching her son slowly stroke the smooth edges of his ebony dragon scale. "Alex, Sweetie, what's wrong?"

.

She asked the question like a doting mother but was careful to scan the room to make sure her son hadn't accidentally stumbled across something that might make him think a dog was in their near future. "Honey, why are you crying on Mommy and Daddy's bed?"

.

Alex smeared his shirt sleeve over his face to catch the drainage caused by his distress. "Daddy's never coming home," he whimpered heartbrokenly. "That's why he left me behind. He never goes _anywhere_ without me and his coat."

.

Neirah couldn't help but smile meekly at the boy's dramatics. "Alex, that is not true in the slightest," she assured him kindly. "Your father was in a rush this morning so he must have forgotten it." She approached and took a quiet seat at the bedside. "As for you, there was an emergency at the guild and you were still in bed when he left."

.

"No," Alex denied frantically. He swatted his mother's loving touch away from where she tried to remove the fur lining from her son's perspiring brow. "He hates me and doesn't want to take me with him anymore!"

.

Neirah's heart sank into her throat as her expression grew sterner with her concern. "Sweetie, what on Earthland would ever make you say something like that? Your father loves you more than anything."

.

"He doesn't!" The boy argued through a fresh fit of tears. "He's a wizard and works at a wizard guild! That's why he won't take me! I'm not a wizard yet!"

.

Neirah retracted her fingers from the thrashing boy in utter bewilderment for his passion. She hated how Alex had grown to value the wizarding community over anything else. "Alex, your father just had a lot of work to do today. Honey, he didn't want you to follow him and then forget to feed you lunch or something silly…"

.

"Miss Mira can feed me!"

.

"Alex, you can't just impose yourself on all of Daddy's friends. They have work to do too," she cautioned. "He just thought that you would have more fun at home. That you'd be more comfortable here."

.

"I won't have more fun at home!" Alex raged. "I want to be with Dad! I want to be where the wizards are! I don't want him to think I'm like you!"

.

Neirah could feel the tears rising in her bright eyes as her heart started to wrench in her chest. "L-like me," she instigated. "I… Is there something wrong with me?"

.

Alex shot his defiant pout away with the force of his instant guilt to his mother's disheartened expression. He had made her sad, and when he did that, Laxus hurt. "Dad leaves you behind because you're not a wizard," Alex explained certainly.

.

"Alex, I stay home to make you and your father comfortable when you get back. I clean so you don't have to, I cook when you're hungry. I could go to the guild if I wanted to, but I just…"

.

"Then why don't you?!" Alex shouted tearfully. "Why do you always hurt Dad with your sadness!? Why didn't you learn magic when you were my age?!"

.

Neirah blinked profusely as she diverted her gaze and tried to dry her eyes without making it seem obvious that she required it. "Maybe… it's because magic scares your mother," she murmured meekly. "Not… not all magic is good magic, Alex. Some magic… it's very dangerous and bad."

.

Alex seemed to be surprised that not all magic was fun and games. He gave his sniffling face another wipe and settled his snivelling. "Bad…? How…?"

.

Despite his reluctance, she tugged her perspiring boy out from beneath his father's warm jacket and set him in her lap before tucking his thighs beneath the fur lining. "A very bad magic killed your grandpa," she started softly. "Your mother's father that you have never met. The same kind of magic tried to take your daddy away from us before you were even born. Many years ago, my father gave his life for our friends and family. He gave his life to save your daddy."

.

Alex watched her glossy gaze carefully for a long moment before shaking his head in denial. "No," he announced confidently. "It doesn't matter because Dad can beat any magic."

.

Neirah smiled sadly and gently stroked her fingers through her son's wild mane. "I thought the same thing too, once," she whispered. "I didn't think anything in the world was stronger than Fairy Tail. When your uncle Gajeel and your father worked together, nothing scared me.

.

Alex caught the distress in his mother's voice as she stared down into the bedding with a solemn expression. "But… they still couldn't beat the badness could they…?"

.

She adjusted and turned her grim smile to face her smart little boy. "No," she whispered breathlessly. "Your father and uncle, your aunt Juvia, Miss Mira and Erza, even your Great-Grandpa Makarov… none of them could stop him that day. If it weren't for the help of a special friend, they would have ended up just like _my_ daddy."

.

Alex pondered her words carefully. "Who was the special friend?"

.

Neirah's expression started to brighten as his demeanour grew kinder towards her stories with his trumping curiosity. "Her name was Mavis. She was a very powerful wizard too."

.

"Did she use scary magic?"

.

Neirah smiled humbly. "No," she whispered. "Her magic was very good. She wasn't scary at all." Despite the fact that she was a ghost, that was.

.

Alex's brow creased in thought. "Is all scary magic bad?"

.

Neirah sighed musically and shifted beneath him. "I don't think so," she theorised. "Miss Mira has pretty scary magic but she doesn't hurt anyone with it." Alex diverted his gaze. "Come to think of it, your father's magic can be pretty scary too."

.

"But Dad doesn't hurt anyone either," he defended swiftly.

.

"You're right," she affectionately crooned. Her heart swelled with the need to record her child's words about her husband. After all that Laxus had been through, the boy's positive opinion of the man warmed her.

.

Alex inherently started to fidget with his fingers in the fluff of his father's jacket while he sat in her lap. "Mom?" She hummed curiously to promote his inquiry. "Why didn't you just learn magic?"

.

"I told you, Sweetie. It scares me."

.

"But you said Miss Mira and Dad have scary magic too, but they don't hurt anyone. How do you know? How can you know that it will be bad magic? What if I learn bad magic and don't know?"

.

Neirah stumbled on her words in defeat. "Oh, Sweetie, don't worry. I'm sure you will only use the good kind. You'll learn magic just like your daddy's."

.

"But how do I know that I will be good with his scary magic? What if I'm bad?"

.

"Shh, Alex you won't be bad, I promise," she soothed in a nurturing tone. She placed a strong kiss on the top of his head. "I guess what I was really afraid of was that I wouldn't be strong enough to face the bad magic, the scary ones who want to hurt me. I guess I thought that if I didn't have magic, if I was so boring, the bad people with scary magic wouldn't care to find me and hurt me."

.

Alex tipped his head back and looked up at her. "Is that why you like Dad so much? Because he's really strong, Mom. You know, he wouldn't let anyone hurt you. He told me so."

.

Neirah's broken heart slowly started to mend. "Is that what he said?"

.

"Yup," he confirmed. "He told me so. And someday, I'll help him too. Don't worry, Mom. I won't use any scary magic for bad. I'll use it all for good like Dad does."

.

"I'm glad," she whispered fondly.

.

Alex climbed to unsteady feet on the bed and wiggled off balance. "I'll use it to protect people only, well, unless they're mean to me."

.

"Alex…" Neirah cautioned gruffly.

.

"I'm kidding!" His demand was giddy as he toppled back into her lap in a giggling pile. He settled down for a moment before turning to face his mother. "So, Dad is coming home, right? Because he has to protect you…"

.

Neirah smiled and ruffled his hair. "He'd better or I won't bake him any more cookies."

.

Alex looked back at her in a panic so she widened her eyes and matched his mortification. "But what about me?! Why can't I have cookies?!"

.

Neirah's expression softened as she leant against him and lowered her voice to share her secret. "I'll make a secret batch just for you, but you can't tell your father unless he comes home."

.

Alex snickered sinisterly like he was privileged. Surely his father would come crawling back for his wife's cookies.

.

Neirah was relieved that she had been capable of consoling the boy before she and Laxus were due to go out that night. She didn't want to leave a grumpy Dreyar with his aunt Juvia, but more and more she worried that the stress of his confusion was going to upset the poor boy beyond what she could defuse. As much as she wanted to protect him from his mother's scary magic and bad past, she couldn't stand to watch him suffer. She and Laxus would have to discuss the matter that evening when they returned from supper with her big brother and his little wife. She could just imagine the smugly satisfied expression on her husband's face when she broached the subject.

.

"Momma?"

.

Neirah shuddered unexpectedly when the boy's innocent voice caught her attention. "What is it, Prince?"

.

"If you could learn any type of magic, even the scary stuff if you used it _only_ for good, what kind of magic would it be?"

.

"Hm, that is a very good question," she whispered humbly. Neirah had never chosen her path, it was laid out before her since before she had taken her first breath; it wasn't her choice to make. Magic had become a tool for survival, of prophet at best, but it had never been hers. "I… I would choose to learn a pretty magic that was full of bright lights."

.

"Daddy's magic makes a lot of pretty lights."

.

Neirah huffed out a playful sigh. "Yes, Prince, but it also puts out a lot of lights."

.

"Like candles?"

.

Neirah smiled warmly at the boy's innocent call. "Not quite," she mused. "I would want to learn a magic that is used only for good, a magic that could only bring warm, happy thoughts. One that could help people feel loved and cherished so that no lonely orphan would ever have to fake a smile. My magic would make everyone smile and love each other." All The things she had to work so hard for so many years to achieve.

.

Alex didn't look away from her as he waited for the catch, but none came. When he parted his lips to speak, she couldn't believe how pure the youth she had stolen from her really was. "I thought you said it could only be used for good?"

.

Neirah wrinkled her nose sternly. "Oh? You really are your father's child. What on Earthland is bad about a smile?" Her teasing tone was met with the utmost sincerity.

.

"What if they don't want to smile?"

.

Neirah's world split down the middle as she pondered his philosophy.

.

"Is it good to make someone happy even if they don't wanna be happy? Is that… is that still good?"

.

"I… don't…"

.

"Is it like when you lie to Daddy?"

.

Neirah's heart sank. "Lie? Alex, what are you talking about?"

.

"When you're sad… You look happy even though your lying. Daddy told me so…"

.

"He did, did he?" She growled.

.

Alex bobbed his head sheepishly and started to fidget with his scale again. "Daddy told me I made you sad because I didn't want to learn magic with you… He said that you lie so it doesn't hurt him when he sees you sad."

.

Neirah didn't know whether to be furious with her husband or thankful that at least he was trying. "Oh Alex, you don't make me sad." She hugged the dismayed boy from where she sat behind him. "You bring me a lot of joy."

.

Alex slowly turned in his seat and sat facing his mother, his gaze diverted downcast as he pet his scale. "Do you want to learn too?" He offered clumsily. He held his scale out for her to watch the sunlight dance on its reflective surface. "Maybe we can learn magic together and… and we can all go look for Great-Grandpa's dragon… together…"

.

Neirah's gaze was bleakly captivated by the reflection of a scale that could very well have been her own if she wasn't certain it could never have fallen into Yuri's hands. She couldn't stop the well of tears in her eyes, the burn of pain ripping through her chest as she felt hot tears slip from her eyes. She and her husband desperately needed to talk.

.

She reached out and gently joined her son in holding the scale, the two of them lowering the artifact together. "I… I would like that very much," Neirah whimpered weakly. "Just…" She sniffed back her weakness. "Just so long as you and your father promise to protect me on our adventures."

.

Alex leaned forward and gave his mother a sloppy hug. "We will, Mom.

.

I promise…"


	13. The Day Time Stood Still ((ML))

_**The Day Time Stood Still**_

* * *

.

.

Weeks had passed and Neirah was attempting to enjoy a peaceful morning in her home when she was bluntly interrupted by a speeding child skidding across the floor in his sock feet. Her expression faltered worrisomely as she watched her young boy wobble but before her hands could reach out to steady him, he'd caught himself. "Whoa-ho-ho. Hold on there, Prince," she cooed. She snagged the blue-eyed boy anyway by his dusty grey hood and snuggled him to her breast. "And just where do you think you're off to in such a rush this morning?"

.

"Ack! Mom! I'm in a hurry!" The boy whined.

.

"I can see that," she crooned as he gasped release. "But your father has already left for the day and I don't like you walking the streets on your own."

.

"I'm not really alone," he defended frantically. "You said we would go to Aunt Levy's house and she is even more close to Dad than we are! It's straight! I can't get lost!"

.

Neirah rolled her eyes with his theatrics. "Sweetie, did it ever occur to you that maybe getting lost wasn't the only hazard for a young soon-to-be-wizard in this world?"

.

Alex puffed up his cheeks to deliberately challenge her wisdom. "Dad has super good hearing and if I yell loud enough he'll find me quick."

.

Neirah flopped her knuckles up on either of her hips. "Yes, find you and kick your little butt all the way back home."

.

"Mom!"

.

Neirah sighed and captured the defiant boy. "Fine, you can walk to your father just this once but I will be following you all the way to Aunt Levy's and Uncle Gajeel's."

.

Alex ground his teeth and tried to slip away from her affection. "How come you can walk alone!? You're not a wizard either! What if the bad magic gets you too?!"

.

Neirah wrinkled her nose playfully before poking his with a lean finger. "Because I can yell loud too."

.

Alex groaned his exasperation, flailing against her embrace until he could squirm free. "Mom, you're gonna make me late! I can't be late for work!"

.

Neirah leant back and let a hearty laugh escape her. She didn't think she'd ever heard her son play make-believe with the guild before. "You are, are you?"

.

"Yea," he demanded excitedly. "I'm going out with Romeo on a real guild re-"

.

Neirah's expression paled with mortification as his words sank into her comprehension. "Stop right there, young man," she demanded sternly. "Did you ask your father if that was alright? Alex, you're too young to tag along with guild wizards."

.

"Awe, come on, Mom!" The youth forced his words out behind the exasperated grunts he expelled while trying to pull on his shoes. He groaned impatiently as he attempted to slide the sneakers on without undoing the Velcro from when he'd previously removed them. "We're Fairy Tail wizards!"

.

"Not yet you aren't," Neirah reasoned strictly. "Alex, I am not budging until you promise to ask your father first. Even if you were a guild wizard you would still have to ask your guild master's permission before taking a job request. If he thinks it is a job you are safe to tag along for then I will allow it but _only_ if he thinks it's alright."

.

"Uch, Mom you're such a worrier." Alex hissed an exasperated sigh as he belligerently rolled his eyes. "But I guess it's ok if you don't understand wizard stuff like me and Dad."

.

Neirah's heart sank as she watched her son climb to his feet and start towards the door. "And just what's that supposed to mean?" She offered gently, helping him open the door during his anxious stampede.

.

"Oh, you know," he laughed out innocently. "See you!"

.

"ASK YOUR FATHER!" Neirah called out after him, watching him kick up dust as he ran with all he could down Magnolia's quiet street.

.

"I'll ask Uncle Gajeel if he's at the guild!"

.

"Not Scr- I mean… Not Gajeel, Alex! Your _FATHER_!"

.

"Bye Mom!" He hollered back to her with an excited gleam in his sapphire gaze.

.

Neirah clutched her hand to her chest with a gentle sigh, her fingertips resting against Fairy Tail's gold insignia on her breast beneath the conservative fabric of her sundress. She silently closed the door to collect a light sweater before she stepped out into the street and locked it behind her. "That boy, I swear…" She huffed out the sentiment impatiently, following the trail of skid marks his spinning tires left on the stone behind him. "I guess this is what I get for being hell on wheels when I was a kid." She laughed softly to herself with the thought as she started through town. "Then again, he might just get this from his father."

.

* * *

.

Laxus looked out over the bustling guild hall with eyes brighter than they'd been for a long time. He'd spun on his bar stool so that he could observe the banter around him, his expression lax and, at times, pleasant even. He'd certainly managed to perk himself up over the past few weeks of his life and that started with a healthy dose of wife each night as soon as he walked through the front door.

.

Their games had continued, although concluded differently. They had stopped holding anything back and the deliverance that came from their kinky ventures was mutual. The only thing difficult about it since their decision to start trying for another child was reminding himself he was an adult. All he wanted to do was parade the scratch marks around and brag about the passion he'd experienced the night before. It was the worst around her brother. Every time Gajeel was near, Laxus had the compelling urge to shove her big brother's face in it.

.

For old time's sake.

.

It was a nice change, feeling like he was himself again. It had made him realise that he was a rather intolerable, unapproachable human being for the last decade or so of his life. He could tell the guild had taken notice too because he was attracting far more in the way of conversation than he might have if he were hauled up in his office pretending to be productive. He had barely realised just how vast their guild had grown over the years and with the level of job requests pooling into the guild, they were stronger than ever. It almost made him laugh as he subconsciously apologized to the fools for thinking he needed to weed out the weak to make them strong. It turned out all they needed to do was win a war and he had managed to inherit the strongest Fairy Tail to ever roam the modest streets of Magnolia. The irony of the full circle he'd slipped around was amusing, to say the least, and had the slightest of chuckles concealed behind a meagre smile.

.

"Well look at you," Wakaba hummed steadily from behind his pipe.

.

Macao snickered deeply. "Looks like someone got up on the right side of the bed for once. I don't think I've ever caught you sneaking a smile when you thought no one was looking. Ever since you learned lightning magic you might as well have been a damn storm cloud raining down on the guild."

.

"Well, as you can see, I had such caring and _encouraging_ father figures in my life," Laxus mocked dryly through his tight, sardonic smirk.

.

Macao and Wakaba shared a hearty chuckle before Wakaba concurred. "He's got you there, Macao."

.

"That aside, you had us all pretty worried a few weeks back. You looked like crap and that's being kind."

.

"Glad you're still just as supportive as ever," Laxus rumbled wryly.

.

"Amazing what a good sleep'll do," Wakaba crooned. "Seriously though, you gotta be careful or you'll end up just like Macao here – workin' yourself into an early grave."

.

"Is that some kind of joke!?" Macao blasted. "And for the record, I'm only _just_ past my prime!"

.

"Well _just_ is progress," Wakaba teased.

.

"Nice try," Laxus drawled lightly. "But with the way my blood goes, I'll be stuck with you jerks for a damn long haul whether I work myself to the bone or drink myself out. The old man tried both and he still barely managed a few years without all your noise." He opened his eyes and looked back at them with a brightly menacing expression. "As for sleep, I wouldn't say I've had a whole lot of that in the past few weeks either…"

.

"I know that look," Wakaba groaned over the brim of his mug. "Haven't seen it around here for a damn long time."

.

"Way too much information!" Macao demanded bashfully. "Keep it to yourself!"

.

Wakaba set his drink down with a mocking snigger. "Ah, you're just jealous that you can't hack it with the young bucks these days."

.

"Is that what we're calling it?" Laxus mused ominously.

.

"It's called class, you dogs! Get yourself a dictionary if that's a new one for you!"

.

Laxus shrugged indifferently to their banter. "Call it what you will, I got a baby to make and I've never been so ok with puttin' in overtime."

.

Mirajane swooped in nearby, setting her empty bus tray on the bar top next to Fairy Tail's perverted master. "Still no word?"

.

Wakaba lowered his voice suspiciously. "Man, Mira just hears the word 'baby' and she's poppin' outta the cracks in the floor."

.

Laxus closed his eyes and smirked, leaning his elbows back against the bar top with a deep, steady inhale. "Nope." He didn't bother looking at Mirajane's disappointed expression to know it was there. Instead, he reached out with his index finger and gave his shirt collar a revealing tug to one side. In doing so, he revealed the leather burn he'd preserved from the night before, flashing it like a badge of honour. "But I got at least another decade of enthusiasm in me that says there will be soon."

.

Mirajane clapped her hands together with a delighted coo. "That's the spirit!"

.

"Don't encourage him," Macao scolded.

.

A moment later, Alex was charging their group with his arrival to the guild hall, panting exhaustion after his sure sprint. "Dad! Dad, I'm ready for wor-" Noticing the irritated skin his father had returned to hiding beneath his collar, Alex's brow knotted. "Ah, Dad? What happened to your neck?"

.

Laxus didn't flinch toward his son's inquiry even as his company lit up with awkward shades of sheepish. "Fell down the stairs," he casually fibbed. "That's what happens when you're not careful."

.

"Ouch! I'll be careful!"

.

Not far away, Cana shook her head to the heavy swallow of liquor before noon. "Man, what's he gonna do when Alex is big enough to know he's full of crap?"

.

"Probably request more frequent visits to the guild from Shadow," Juvia cooed certainly.

.

"Geez," Macao groaned. "Do you really have to suck Alex into the insanity?"

.

"Really?" Cana muttered bleakly. "Look at the kid's parents. He was born with insanity in his blood."

.

"There goes another shred of hope for the kid's future."

.

Laxus snorted and diverted his gaze from their mocking banter. "See? Real supportive friends I got around here. Shoulda stayed home today after all." He grunted as Cana reached over and elbowed him in the ribs.

.

"Probably woulda been more productive there, eh stud?"

.

"Dad, what's a stud?"

.

"It's the shi- it's the ugly things in your uncle's face."

.

"Then why is Miss Cana calling you one?"

.

"This is all your fault," Laxus hissed.

.

"Hey, don't blame me for your dirty thoughts, you useless hunk of metal." Cana almost spat out her own drink. "From what I hear, she might be better off with a hunk of metal!"

.

Laxus sighed like he was settling his nerves just by doing so. "And I'm feelin' so good today that I don't even feel the need to flip you over the bar."

.

"Should you really be promoting violence in front of your son?" Cana droned.

.

Wakaba hacked on a murky plume of smoke. "You're one to talk!"

.

Mira giggled whimsically. "Oh, you guys, stop being so dramatic. I'm sure with all the Master's overtime recently, Neirah will be visiting us with good news soon."

.

"They're like bunnies," Macao grunted dismally.

.

"Jealous, old man?" Wakaba sang spitefully.

.

"Dog says what!?"

.

"Woof."

.

The surrounding party of friends and family all turned to where they faced the uncannily casual expression of their guild master who hadn't even flinched towards the comprehension of his own low rumble. It took Laxus a long moment to finally realise why they were so shocked by his low vocalization. He blinked, hoping that no one caught notice of the guilty heat flushing his cheeks, no matter how subtle. "Woof," he repeated a little less confidently. "That's… what the dogs says."

.

"Wooooow…." Cana drawled bleakly. "I have no officially seen everything. Now excuse me while I drink myself to death."

.

Laxus sighed as he looked down into his lap at his smiling son, ruffling the boy's wild mane proudly. "So where's your mom? I could really use some back up right about now."

.

"At Aunt Levy's," he announced giddily. He cheered when Laxus took the hint that he wanted to be raised, throwing his arms around his father as he was taken into the man's lap. "They do boring girl stuff."

.

Laxus' brow creased hesitantly. "So, you walked here all by yourself?"

.

"Yea," he cheered. "Mom said she was going to follow me but I don't think she did Dad, I did it all by myself."

.

"Lost her in your dust, huh?" Laxus sighed, trying his hardest not to shatter his boy's pride. "That's great, Champ, but you know you shouldn't be following me to the guild on your own. That's a long way to walk."

.

"It's ok, Dad," Alex reassured him confidently. "You do it all the time!"

.

"Yea? And how many of your little steps can fit into one of your old man's?"

.

"Like, lots! So that means I can go faster!"

.

Laxus snorted his amusement. "S'That what that means?"

.

"Sure is!" Alex smiled and sat up tall on his father's lap. "Besides, I had to get here quick so that I didn't miss work!"

.

Laxus' expression faltered tentatively. "Work?"

.

"Yea! Today I get to go on a real wizard quest!"

.

Laxus let silence fall between them as his chest expanded for a sharp, settling breath. "That so?"

.

"Yea! Romeo is gonna take me with him on one of his missions!"

.

"I think he's not." Laxus didn't bother looking down to where his son's expression immediately dropped. Instead, he scanned the guild hall for the young Conbolt who he was going to hang out to dry for getting his son all excited for nothing. Macao shuddered when Laxus' stern gaze fell on him.

.

"Hey! Don't look at me! Romeo's eighteen now, he's out from under my thumb!"

.

"You say that like he was ever there," Wakaba taunted.

.

Laxus finally turned and looked back at his son. "Alex, you're too young to go on jobs with other wizards. Maybe in a couple of years."

.

"But Dad!"

.

"Don't get me wrong, cool-dad wants to say go for it but guild-master-dad and scared-the-hell-outta-your-mom-dad are telling me that it's a bad idea."

.

"Is it because of bad magic?"

.

"What? No," Laxus rumbled a tad impatiently. "Here, why don't you just hang out at the guild for a bit and maybe later we'll check out the request board and see if there's something you and I can do together."

.

"But Dad! I already told Romeo I wanted to go with him!"

.

"Then tell Romeo that your Dad's a jerk who says you can't go."

.

"But-!"

.

"Alex…"

.

Alex bowed his head, his heart clearly broken as he sniffed back his pride and started to slowly saunter through the guild. "Yes, sir…"

.

Laxus sighed and gave the bridge of his nose a stern rub between his thumb and forefinger. "Man, I really thought I had a couple more years of colouring books and hide-and-seek before this crap started."

.

"I think you handled that well," Mira crooned. "For what it's worth."

.

He turned slightly and glanced over his shoulder at his beautiful assistant. "Thanks."

.

"He'll learn that it's for the best. I don't think any child believes their parents are actually trying to protect them until they stumble into trouble once or twice."

.

Laxus smiled humbly. "Well, at least he's got a couple half-decent parents to worry about him."

.

"Oh-ho I think you and Neirah are a little better than half-decent."

.

"Well if you say so," he added pleasantly.

.

"I heard the two of them talking about it yesterday but it wasn't my place to tell him no. Romeo picked a special job while Alex was watching. It was just a delivery request to the next town over. It didn't pay much, but it was something Romeo thought Alex could tag along for." Mira smiled and watched Alex pout to his doting aunt, Juvia. Of course, Juvia automatically took the boy's side, his father was being unfair because he was such a strong and capable little boy. Typical of an aunt-type figure but at least the boy took a bit of comfort from someone agreeing with his side of the story. He'd forget it all in a couple of days. "I think Romeo sees himself in Alex, so captivated by the world of magic." Mira continued. "Romeo used to look up to Natsu the same way when he was little."

.

Laxus' expression didn't shift from his son as he slowly responded to Mirajane's suggestion. "Any word from them?"

.

Mira's sunny smile started to fade with the inquisition. "No," she whispered faintly. "Not a word…"

.

* * *

.

"W-how Shads, you're all rosy." Levy gasped, her face igniting with bashful heat as Neirah passed her the book she had borrowed almost half a year prior. "Oh god, you and Laxus are still doing this kind of stuff, aren't you?"

.

Neirah snickered guiltily. "That book is for beginners," she teased. "I think two emotionally stable partners could do better."

.

Levy diverted her flushed cheeks and wry expression as Neirah sipped her tea. "Emotionally stable; says the dragon to the bookworm."

.

"It's actually nice giving that man back a bit of his freedom to put up a fight. I have to say, I didn't have much left in me to keep him down any longer."

.

"Not sure where you're goin' with that."

.

"My magic," Neirah murmured softly. "I used to hold my own against him and the other wizard saints pretty well… now."

.

Levy reached out and stroked her friend's hand for comfort. "Awe, don't sweat it Shads. I still think you're pretty scary for a retired momma."

.

Neirah dropped her head back with a bleak whine. "Uch, I feel so _ollld_."

.

Levy retracted her hand and cocked a brow over her impish little smirk. "Can't say as Laxus feels the same. If you're Momma Dragon, he's Daddy Peacock for sure."

.

Neirah nearly spat out her tea, hacking on what she had accidentally inhaled. "Oh my god, that bad?"

.

"I'm likely underexaggerating."

.

Neirah rolled her eyes playfully. "That man… If he keeps this up he and my brother are going to be at each other's throats all over again."

.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Levy crooned. She flopped her hand to one side to flash her book on submission. "So, did you come by looking to see if I had a sequel? Dominatrix Advanced, maybe?"

.

Neirah held her cup in both hands, her thumbs just beneath her lower lips as she peeked from beneath her brow over the brim of the ceramic. "Are you implying you have one?"

.

Levy blushed and dropped the book onto the table with a loud thump. "No way, Shads, you should know better."

.

"I'll wing it," she sniggered mischievously. Neirah set her teacup back into her saucer with a gentle clatter, her humble smile watching the murky ripples dance around the bright mug. "Actually, I had something I wanted to ask you," she encouraged half-heartedly.

.

Levy's expression grew mortified for a split second before she realised that her dear friend didn't have a whole lot of people to confidently confide in. Cana was a blabbermouth, Juvia made everything about Gray, and she could only imagine that discussing her sex life with her husband's ex would be awkward. Coming to her silent conclusion, Levy set her own tea down and pumped enthusiastic fists. "Alright, lay it on me, Shads," she announced passionately. Her expression faltered only momentarily. "But wait though. Just so you know, if you're looking for _company_ , I have never been more out."

.

Neirah laughed boisterously at Levy's insinuation. "Oh please, be serious," she chided. "Besides, my husband would probably kill me if I tried something like that again."

.

Levy sighed relief before the colour was draining from her face all over. "W-wait!? What do you mean _again_?!"

.

"Stop getting me off track!" Neirah shouted playfully. "I have a couple things I want to discuss with you before we're surrounded by nosey men!"

.

"Ok, ok," Levy laughed. She folded her arms on the table top before leaning against them. "What's up?"

.

"Ok well first, Laxus and I… we've been talking… I think we're ready to tell Alex the truth."

.

Levy's expression grew serious in an instant. "Seriously? That's great news, Shads."

.

"Well, I don't know if I'd call it great, but…" Neirah sighed blissfully and let her gaze linger on her wedding band for a quiet moment, a glowing smile curling her lips in honour of the love they'd found. "I just… we wanted to catch him up before… well… It's because we're-"

.

The two girls perked to the sound of a knock at Levy's front door. "Odd," Levy murmured softly. "Gajeel wouldn't knock if he was back already."

.

Neirah giggled softly as she watched Levy rise to leave the room and answer the door at the front of her home. "He would if he had his arms full with a child who didn't want to be set on her own two feet." From the other room, she could hear the tumbler's muffled click as Levy spoke.

.

"Can I help- Master? What…?"

.

Laxus sighed and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, there's no way to say this without it soundin' bad. Is my kid hiding out here?"

.

Neirah's heart started racing as she slowly climbed to her feet in the bright sunroom next door.

.

"I told him he couldn't tag along on a job with Romeo and he was pretty steamed. Then he went and got out from under me and usually when this kind of thing happens he storms off to find his cool uncle to vent."

.

Levy's heart sank with worry as she drew her hand to her face. "Gajeel and Pantherlily took Lilian into town hours ago to give me a break."

.

Laxus' brow knotted to consider that his son might not have been able to find his uncle so he'd wandered home. "Hm, weird." He was almost certain his wife would have let him know if Alex had joined her in tears. He turned away from the wide-open door to help conceal his fretful frustration. "He must have made his way back home to his mom. Thanks anyway-"

.

"Laxus…"

.

Levy had never seen the man so pale in all their years as his vacant expression turned to where the sound of his wife's voice made its way to him from the end of Levy's front hall. "N-Neirah…?"

.

She quickly rushed to Levy's side in a fit of panic. "How long has he been missing?!"

.

Laxus shook his head like he was in denial of something. "An hour tops. Mira just tried to feed him lunch but he wasn't there."

.

Neirah whimpered shrilly as she captured her light sweater from Levy's coat rack before joining her husband outside the door. "I'm sorry Levy but you know that boy. He could be anywhere. I just bloody well told him this morning too that I didn't like the thought of him wandering!"

.

"I know," Levy concurred hurriedly. "Here, I'll come help you look for him."

.

"No, you stay here. Wait for my brother and when he gets here, all of you meet us back at the guild. If Alex isn't accounted for by then, we'll all go out after him together." Neirah's gaze intensified. "And if Alex does wander back through this way, I want you to hog tie him and leave him in the middle of the kitchen floor until I get back! That boy is in for the spanking of his life!"

.

Laxus quietly shifted his startled gaze from his wife stomping away to the intimidated tremble of her comrade. "Yea… and you wonder how she got a collar on me…"

.

* * *

.

Minutes turned into an hour, turned into hour _s_. The sun was high in the sky and threatened to start sinking at any moment. Alex's terrified parents had looked everywhere, dragon slayer noses put to the ultimate test and failing. "Alex!" Neirah screeched. "Alex, please, this isn't funny!"

.

"We've looked everywhere," Laxus grunted through panting breaths. "I know this city like the back of my fucking hand, how have we not found him?"

.

"That's a good question!" Neirah quipped back fiercely. "Maybe try asking someone with an answer!"

.

"Don't get snarky with me, Princess," he retorted unsympathetically. "I'm just as fucking worried as you are."

.

Neirah's brow creased as she fought tears and tore her expression away from her husbands with another loud bellow. "ALEX!" She flinched when she suddenly felt the pressure of Laxus strong grip on her wrist. "What is it? Do you think we should meet the other's back at the guild?"

.

"No," he admitted casually. "Just had another ill-timed epiphany."

.

Neirah's gaze grew bleak with vexation. "I am so not in the mood for what you consider humour."

.

"Just listen," he commanded. "Alex was goin' off this morning about taking a job with Romeo or something."

.

Neirah seemed pleased with this knowledge. "Oh, so he did ask your permission."

.

"Yea, but I didn't give it," he snarled. "Mira mentioned something about Romeo purposely took an easy job that Alex would be able to tag along for. It was a delivery to the next town over."

.

"Next town over-?! Laxus he's four!"

.

"Hey! I didn't say he could! I'm just saying, we've looked everywhere in Magnolia. What are the chances he took off with Romeo anyway?"

.

"Do you think they went towards Onibus or Hargeon?"

.

"When was the last time you saw a request come through Fairy Tail for Hargeon?"

.

"Laxus, when was the last time I was at the guild to notice?! Just because Lamia Scale is closer doesn't mean something didn't end up on our board!"

.

"They obviously headed through the East Forest towards Onibus."

.

"And the train? How do you know they didn't take the train?"

.

"Look," Laxus roared impatiently. "I don't, ok? If I knew, we wouldn't be stressing the fuck out over our missing four-year-old son! I'm just saying it's a possibility! But, if they did take the train, they should be back soon and heading for the guild to let Mira know. But if they walked, they might not be far out. All I know is it's a place to start. If we walk, we cover our bases. If you don't manage to pick them up out there, we can assume that they're already back home safe and sound."

.

Neirah took a deep breath to settle the trembling in her body before she nodded sharply and started through town towards the East. "We'll have to ask the other parents in the guild how grounding works because he is going to have his first experience with it as _soon_ as we get home!"

.

It didn't take Laxus and Neirah long to make their way into the forest, but their advance didn't do Neirah's nerves any good. She sprinted through the foliage with her senses buzzing on high alert as her husband chased after her. Her heart was flopping around in her chest like a fish out of water, irregular, frantic. She started to slow her pace, tears fogging her vision as she scoured the forest desperately for anything. "Alex!" She cried helplessly. She clasped her shivering hands to her face as she stared out over the quiet forest, watching startled birds take flight at the sound of her call. It was strange, a sensation of helplessness and dread fogging her comprehension. "No… Alex…"

.

Laxus stepped into his wife and wrapped her up in his firm embrace. "We'll find him," he rumbled nervously. "Hey, come on. He probably took the train. Let's just cover as much ground as we can to be sure."

.

Neirah frantically shook her head. "No, Laxus, something's wrong. Everything… I can't smell a thing."

.

Laxus' frown deepened. "Relax, you're just scared. Worrying so much is messing with your head…"

.

Neirah's eyes flew open to stare wildly between spread fingers before she was driving her palm into his abdomen followed by the force of dark electricity crashing between them, the strength of the blast enough to knock him off his feet and the coat from his shoulders. She hardened herself to the sounds of his pain as he fell backwards, silently pleading his forgiveness as she threw her head back moments before the whistle of a precise sword strike was barely grazing her nose.

.

"What the hell was that fo-!?" The colour drained from Laxus' face as he watched his wife lose a couple inches of her braid to the katana that had narrowly missed decapitating her. Obviously, in the moment they were so close, she didn't have time to fumble with throwing him away. She slowly slunk backwards, her guard up and gaze locked on her enemy as her loose braid started to unravel after his assault.

.

Neirah's gaze sharpened vehemently as the darkly clad shadow swept backwards in retreat, his ninja-like movements inconceivably fast. "It was you," she snarled. "You diluted the scent of the forest."

.

His tone was calm and confident as he retracted his blade at the ready. "You are correct."

.

Neirah's gaze flinched so widely that her irises were lost in a frantic white sea. Such arrogance, such cool detachment. "Where. is. my. **_son_**?!"

.

The agile man quickly leapt out of the battle fray, elegant steps seeing him float through the air to dodge the lightning clapping from earth to heavens. Luckily, his baggy pants only covered his legs to just past his knee, avoiding tripping up his swift movements as he darted through the forest to avoid the wash of wild bolts. He cut his gaze over his mesh black veil and glared at a livid lightning wizard self-assuredly.

.

"She asked you a fucking question!" Laxus roared.

.

The man narrowly avoided the tree-splintering clap that illuminated the majority of the forest in a brilliant burst of golden light. What frustrated the impatient Dreyar's was that afterwards, the ninja had set himself atop the ruble, perfectly poised on the shards left of the desecrated forestry.

.

"He's so fast," Neirah spat out gratingly.

.

"He reminds me of Mystogan and it fucking pisses me off!" Laxus barked edgily. His right arm tightened, crimson scales revealing in the tense lines of his forearm as the colour of his lightning darkened crimson.

.

The ninja no more than shifted his sharp gaze Laxus' way. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

.

Laxus snapped carnivorous teeth together, seething fury. "What?! Rearrange your fucking face?!"

.

The man didn't move as Laxus took charge, his wife's ever calculating glare trying to figure out why the rogue man in their path was acting so hostile towards them. He had clearly made an attempt on their lives moments before. 'Why…?' Neirah's eyes grew wide with fear as Laxus wound up his attack with a thundering roar. "LAXUS WAIT!"

.

Nearby, Alex slowly raised from near the debris of his father's destruction, rubbing sleepy eyes like he'd just woken from a nap. At first, he looked around the new clearing absent concern, but that was when his gaze met his father's over a luminous show of crimson sparks. "Dad?!"

.

Laxus caught his breath and ground his heels into the dirt to stop his progression before he endangered his own son. "Alex?" His trembling gaze shot towards where he saw the silhouette of an unconscious Romeo just as near. "The hell?!"

.

"LAXUS!"

.

Neirah's screech had barely met his ears over the racing of his heart as the ninja leapt back onto the offensive. Laxus had just managed to spare his arm a critical blow, the insanely sharp edge of the blade slicing into the scales of his forearm effortlessly without much force from its wielder.

.

Panicked, Alex scrambled to Romeo's side, trying his hardest to stir the young fire wizard. "Romeo! Romeo wake up!" Alex cried hysterically. "My dad needs your help!" He was interrupted by the earth-shattering crash of his father's fist into the earth where his target should have remained.

.

"Neirah, take Alex and go!" Laxus ordered furiously. He stood tall and glared at the man who nearly teleported through the remaining treetops with bewildering speed. He couldn't kill him, as badly as he wanted to. Sparks leapt from his skin as he braced his stance and tried to isolate himself from the situation leading the father in him towards a blind, uncontrollable rage. There was too much happening. The man before them had taken the opportunity to catch Alex and Romeo off-guard without harming them. He had used them for bait to flush out the two of them. They had been set up. "Take Alex and Romeo back to the guild!"

.

Neirah bolted to his side, pressing her back firmly against his heat to be the second set of eyes he needed between the villain and their son. "I can't," she assured him coldly. Deep cerulean eyes started to shift warily through the woods as she tried her hardest to contain her amphibian traits from their baffled son watching in shock and wonder nearby. "Laxus, something isn't right here!"

.

"I know."

.

She turned and looked back up over his shoulder at his ominous expression scanning their battlefield.

.

"I'll bring him back to the guild as soon as I get a hold on this."

.

"Laxus…"

.

"I can do this!" He ordered passionately.

.

The command in his voice forced Neirah to flinch. It had been a lot of years since she had seen him so livid, so tense with rage that he flickered in and out of consciousness. She knew that something rotten was afoot but to learn anymore, they had to have something left to interrogate. Any other time, neither she or Laxus would have hesitated to release their judgment spells upon the cretin, but something stirring deep within her worried that all they would accomplish is banishing a single pawn of a bigger conspiracy. It had been bred into her since the days Ryverika had finally liberated her from her Astaulian brethren. They were clearly facing a wizard assassin, and if he had had any interest in Romeo or Alex, they wouldn't be stirring. Somebody wanted she or Laxus dead and since they'd been flushed out, the real battle had begun.

.

Her throat worked as she slipped her palm up his hip before reaching out and dusting her fingers over his tight fist. "Be… careful," she whispered softly. She had to trust him like she'd always done in the days of war and strife. She had to walk away from the scent of his blood and the feeling of her heart breaking in order to believe that he could make it home. He had a guild to defend, a family to protect; he wouldn't lose.

.

She ran towards her son with a steady objective, listening attentively to every crash emitting from behind her as her husband worked on smoking out their enemy. If half the forest was destroyed, he wouldn't have anywhere to hide from Heaven's Rain. Neirah shook her thoughts clear and knelt in front of her son, looking him in the eye even though he couldn't keep his gaze from his father's performance. "Alex, Alex look at me," she whimpered desperately. She grasped his face and forced their cobalt gazes to meet. "Remember what I told you about bad magic? Alex, we need to leave immediately. Help me with Romeo."

.

Alex stared back at her for a long moment, slowly shaking his head. "No…" He shook more fiercely and thrust her away from him. "No! I won't leave Dad!"

.

"Alex!" She wailed frantically. "If we stay, we are putting your father in danger! We can't be here to distract him!"

.

Alex cried out the same time he heard his father bear the impact of his enemy's swift strikes. "He needs help!" Alex writhed against his mother's hold trying fruitlessly to escape her grip. "Let go! Dad needs me!"

.

Neirah clutched him more fiercely, hating that she was actually considering knocking out her own wailing son in order to carry him from danger. She reached out towards the unconscious Romeo, tugging on his shirt to drag him closer so she could try and manage both boys at once. Like Alex, the lad had been put to sleep with the same potion. No physical harm had come to him. "Alex, please… you're… you're making this difficult…"

.

"Dad! Dad, I can help you!"

.

Neirah squealed terror as she heard Laxus' pain articulate in a way she'd rarely heard it. She was starting to admit that their enemy knew that they were trying to capture and interrogate. Their only hope of making a return to the guild might have been to do so by ending his life. Their adversary was clearly a soldier born to withstand their wrath for a single purpose and the longer she listened to her furious husband struggle, the deeper her belief in treachery had become.

.

"Alex," she whimpered meekly. She knew it would be a shock, but she didn't think she had a choice. Even with her young boy watching on, she couldn't leave Laxus to fend for himself in a battle that very well may have been rigged against them from the start. If only she could find a way to make sure that Alex didn't scamper into danger, she would be free to fight alongside her husband and protect their family. She wished that he hadn't woken from the sleep spell so inopportunely.

.

She was a dragon, for heaven's sake. She couldn't understand why she was shivering so fiercely with fear and alarm. Maybe she wished she had known how to take the form of the mighty beast a second time, but she didn't. She remained human and forced to limit her abilities to those she had struggled her entire life to hone. But even if she appeared mortal, she had never come off as so weak, so fragile in a battle. She didn't understand if it was her retirement that left her feeling feeble or the power of maternal emotions washing over her and paralyzing her with frantic worry.

.

She shook tears free from her eyes with a desperate plea. "Alex, please just do as you're told!"

.

Through her trembling and panic, the unthinkable happened; her son escaped her. Neirah's teary gaze whirled around to face where Alex took off in a fit of brave tears towards where his father was struggling to make it back to his feet. The sound of Alex's screeching, the sound of her husbands respires as he choked on his panic, everything faded when she saw the swift shadow of her enemy flinch to purpose, his gaze darting towards her child.

.

Laxus watched a tangle of poorly saturated reels slide past his conscious gaze as the man who'd attacked them braced his stance on one knee and thrust his sword up into the air like he knew that she'd be there. A mother, protecting her young. He watched as the sword ripped through her chest and exited between her shoulders inches from her son's gaping expression.

.

Reality started to spin as time froze around them, black and white stage props dotting the forest as a hot pool of crimson started to blotch her pale sundress. Her tousled hair started to settle with their steadiness, that was how long each party took to absorb the moment. And when the first drop of blood hit the forest floor from the wound between her breasts, his world ignited.

.

"MOM!"

.

Her son's distressed cries rang in her ears as she lingered before him in defence, her enemy's weapon piercing her chest on its way towards him. Her breathing was steady but hollow as she heard it escape her along with the light trail of blood at the corner of her mouth. The man who'd held the blade hadn't moved, hadn't twisted or pulled. He let reality sink into her dimming eyes as she felt her own life fade.

.

"It's… ok… Alex…"

.

Alex flinched his bemusement as his mother started to slowly raise her hand to the blade pinched between her breasts. He stared, wide glassy eyes bubbling over with terrified tears as she slowly adjusted her gentle, bloodied smile over her shoulder towards him.

.

"It's ok," she repeated in a soft wheeze. "Because… You see… Sweetie…"

.

Laxus teeth ground as he watched her tears start to fall, his body paralyzed with his inability to comprehend their reality.

.

"Your mom…" She slowly turned her expression away from him and took notice of the tail end of her glittering golden guild mark revealed in the split of her dress' material. "Your mom's a wizard too," she squeaked sorrowfully.

.

"Mom…?" Alex whimpered hopefully. "Mom is a…"

.

The assassin's brow creased in alarm when Neirah raised her bright reptilian gaze from where she'd been observing her own wounded flesh, a hot golden flash in it so malicious in intent that it made him shudder. In the next moment, she had grasped the blade tightly with a fist coated with bright steel scales. "And she… will **_never_** … allow _anyone_ to bring harm to her son!" She snarled her words out venomously between gasping breaths, her racing heartbeat only hindering her condition as blood continued to spill from her chest. The mysterious man gasped in terror as she tore the blade from her flesh to cast it aside, the clamp in her grip powerful enough to see the blade cleaved in two beneath her fingers. He stumbled backwards as the frail woman's body dotted with reflective diamond coloured scales.

.

Their attacker started on the retreat, zipping through the rubble around them in an attempt to escape her rampage into the shadows. "My task is complete," he murmured certainly. He slipped a smaller sword from his belt and took it in both hands as he darted through the forest.

.

To this, Neirah's expression grew furiously stunned. Before he could drive the blade into his own chest for his mercy kill, she was emerging from the shadows at his feet and knocking it from his grip. He stared back at her with wide eyes as she emerged differently than before, her body black as night and dotted with brilliant golden scales; luminous cracks of infinite magic making her appear molten beneath her smooth onyx surface. Heartless luminescent golden eyes pierced his devote soul and threatened to claw it out with the ebony claws of infinity. "There is no escaping into the shadows," she seethed. "I am the shadows!"

.

The man cried out in delicate agony as he was stricken. As a swift assassin, the assault didn't come often and Neirah's was brutal. He was knocked to the ground and skidded back into the clearing, left to scour the dusty debris for his blade before his senses were being bombarded with the crippling pain of black electricity pulsing through him into the earth. He started to tremble in panic, spasming muscles begging escape as they crawled towards the blade. "It is their will…" Neirah's incandescent gaze cocked sceptically to his murmur as white blonde waves cascaded around her hips. "That he be reborn!" Neirah's eyes grew painfully wide as he launched a smokescreen towards her in attack long enough for him to begin a tactical retreat.

.

Laxus trembled indecisively as he watched her fight. She was just as fierce as ever, but her mind was already numb and he knew that she was lost. She had always been a tactical fighter but nothing remained in tact as she hunted her prey in a gruesome game of cat chase mouse. The hot presence of the tear rolling over his face had his fist clenching at his side in agony, and his realisation of an end approaching for their time together had paralysed him. But just seeing her work off of the pure and final breath of adrenaline given to a dying mother to protect her young was enough to encourage him to take her hand when she called his name into battle to defend the light they both held so dear.

.

Heaven's Rain, one last time.

.

The next moments to occur in his life were dim in his senses as they vanquished their foe side by side for a final time. If they wanted to preserve their final moments together, they couldn't risk that the man escaped with his life, or rushed his task. He had been sent to kill her, and she was fading. Instead of letting him claim his own life in ritual, they had made him suffer until his last gasping breath. What had washed the bloody massacre from memory was the sound of Neirah's breath, the swell of her dying pulse against his fingertips as they met. The scent of the blood trail staining her sundress was suffocating as she turned to face him upon their victory with a smile on her sunlit face, a gentle spring breeze ruffling her loose hair. But the moment that she fell forward into his arms, he came crashing back into the harshest of realities.

.

* * *

.

"Somethin' ain't right…" Gajeel rumbled roughly in concern. "Even if what Mira said was true and they did go after em', the kids weren't that far away…" A young Lilian's lips parted in concern as she watched her father flex his fist and stare darkly through the open guild hall doors. "They should have been back by now…"

.

"The job request that Romeo took Alex on wasn't a difficult one," Pantherlily added softly. "Even if he was young, it was a simple delivery. Asuka went on similar tasks with Natsu and Lucy in her early years. This should have been no different." He turned to look up at his flustered companion. "I'm worried."

.

"That makes two of us…" With a decisive step, Gajeel headed for the door. "I can't sit around waitin' anymore. I'm goin' to look for them."

.

Pantherlily nodded and trotted off after Gajeel in accord. "I'm coming with you."

.

Lillian watched for a long moment through wild eyes before she quickly caught her breath and took off after them. "Lily!" Levy whimpered out softly.

.

"Wait! I wanna come too!" Lillian assured them softly. She reached out to tug on her father's pant leg as Gajeel looked back at Levy clutching her worried hand to her heart.

.

"You should stay here with yer mom," Gajeel reasoned tenderly. "We won't be long."

.

Lilian whined softly with a defiant pout displaying from beneath her long side bangs. "Alex's in trouble." Her determination festered, tears pooling in her dark eyes. "And we family, Papa." She finally let her confident tears slip free of her gaze. "An' families look out for one'nother!" Her demands were announced bravely as she remained ignorant of the feelings she'd evoked in the room full of Fairy Tail's older members. She turned and looked back at her mom for reassurance. "Righ…?"

.

Gajeel knelt in front of her and swiped roughly at the tears on her cheeks. "We do, don't we…?" Gajeel cast Levy a questioning gaze, his heart heavy with the weight of the proud tears rolling over her cheeks to reach her warm smile. She nodded softly and sniffed back her sorrow, wiping it away on her sleeve. Gajeel slowly stood and dropped his palm on Lily's head, ruffling up her fluffy little ebony ponytail. He reached Levy's side and put his hand gently on the back of her head, drawing her tight to his chest. "We won't be long," he murmured softly against her hair. "Laxus wouldn't let anythin' happen to the kids."

.

Levy nodded her head against his chest with a soft shudder. "I know," she whispered delicately. She slid her hands against either side of his face. "Please be careful," she added worrisomely to his lips before placing a gentle kiss on them. When she backed away to look back up at him, he had replaced his serious expression with a sinisterly crooked grin.

.

"Am I ever anything but?" He crooned. He stepped back towards the guild hall entrance before turning with a reassuring smile and tugging lightly on Lilian's ponytail. "Alright kiddo, what'd'ya say we go back up our guild master?" Lillian responded with a broad smile and confident giggle, her tears drying on her face as she chased after him.

.

* * *

.

He'd barely caught her as she dropped to her knees, and in the next moment, they were both striking the earth she'd dampened with the life she spilt onto the battle-scarred ground. "Laxus…" She breathed out gently, a devastatingly heart-wrenching look of relief on her face as she closed her eyes and leant against his chest. "You're… always so warm…"

.

His hand hovered for a long moment over her wound, his fingers raking through the air in contemplation as they quaked. "W-what do I do…?" He rushed out weakly. He tried his best to ignore the warmth of the panicked tears rolling over his cheeks. He shuttered with fear and frustration. "Neirah, I don't know what to do."

.

He flinched out of his shell-shocked state when she reached out and gently laid her fingertips against his cheek. "Alex…" She whimpered softly, glassy blue eyes barely peeking from beneath her thick lashes. "I need you to be… his shadow now…" She closed her eyes and let a fatigued smile curl her lips. "Be the hope… he needs… to be strong." Tears finally rolled over her cheeks as she looked back at her husband for what she knew approached the last time. "Like his father…"

.

Alex didn't speak, didn't move, didn't blink as he stared vacantly forward, a bleak, traumatized expression paling his tanned face as he watched the horror unfold. He had never seen his father cry, seen him crippled with terror as he begged his wife's safe return. Tears leaked freely from a face that was too frozen to snivel or sniff. The thought repeated, over and over in his head as his youthful mind tried to sort through the shock for truth. His mom was a wizard all along.

.

He choked on the emotion he fought desperately to contain in front of their four-year-old son that had never seen him cry, the weight of the strength it took suffocating against his chest. He couldn't clear his vision for the tears streaming down his face, and he was torn between relief and frustration for the matter. A part of him wanted his vision clear if it was the last time he'd see his wife take in a breath, but a part of him wanted to blur the quaking, bloodstained figure lying weakly in his arms from existence entirely. His hand trembled as he laid it against her brow, his touch gentler than the breaths she wheezed out passively. But when his trembling caress finally laid against cooling flesh, he tangled his fingers in her bloodied and matted hair before encouraging her to rise against him.

.

"Tell me there's something I can do! Please!" He encouraged rashly. "Neirah, I don't know how to raise a kid on my own or run a damn guild. Please," he repeated weakly. "I need you… I need you, don't… just don't…" His breathing hitched when he felt her trembling hand reach for his cheek, but what broke his heart, was the frail and blissful smile that she offered him even though he'd never felt the last heat of her fingertips against his skin.

.

"Smile," she breathed out weakly.

.

He lingered in a state of complete shock for a long moment as her hand slipped away from his face with the expulsion of her final breath and moved to rest lifelessly just beneath her navel. He moved his fingers against her face, just waiting to catch the tears that had been flowing so steadily a moment before. He didn't want to smile, he couldn't. In fact, the power of her sentiment shot straight through his heaving stomach until all the emotion he tried to retain spilt over in a devastatingly agonized grimace. Finally, he began to lose his own breath, his racing heart beating too fast for him to catch it as it left with her to another world in that endless moment where nothing was beautiful and the only thing worth saying went unsaid.

.

Gajeel's skin crawled when the scent of allied blood led him to where disaster had struck that day, and as he looked out over what had become a battlefield, he was hit with an unshakable feeling of dread. "What the hell happened here-?" His breath caught desperately behind his teeth as he laid his eyes on his friend supporting his little sister in his arms bathed in sunlight and blood. "Laxus," he breathed out hoarsely. Choking back the swell of panic, he took his first step towards them.

.

"Alex!" Lillian cried out in panic, barely able to rush past her father before he was grabbing the collar of her sweater and encouraging her to return to Pantherlily's side. He didn't break gaze as Alex ran past him towards his cousin with tears in his eyes, he couldn't.

.

"Find Romeo and get the kids back to the guild," he ordered sternly with a hoarse catch in his voice. Pantherlily nodded knowingly, taking up an unconscious Romeo in his arms before joining Alex and Lilian once more. Pantherlily cast his gaze down to Alex's traumatized one, the child's shock too deep for him to comprehend the reality at hand. After a long moment, he finally heard the boy speak in a small, broken voice.

.

"I… didn't mean… to…"

.

Gajeel's steps hastened and delivered him to Laxus' side, but he didn't come close to expecting what was to come next. There he watched the peaceful expression of his baby sister rest eternally in her husband's bloody hands as he clasped her tightly to his weeping frame. Alex might have remained in shock, but the world was raining down on his guild master's head as he attempted to articulate pleas drowned in anguish that might have the strength to bring her back. Gajeel shuddered as he forced his words out in concern. "Laxus, wh-"

.

"She's gone," Laxus choked out from behind ground teeth. His voice cracked with rage and agony. Gajeel started to tremble as he shifted his gaze over Neirah's broken figure, her blood-streaked hair clutched tightly in her husband's grasp. From the day the sick little girl looked up at him in the rain to the day the sound of her newborn son's cries filled Fairy Tail's halls, his heart sank knowing that it all led to what lay before him. It had all happened for that reason, fate was cruel. It sounded to him like his friend was trying to articulate something more, but it never made it to coherent form. It wasn't long before Gajeel was on his knees by Laxus' side sharing in the utter disbelief that the infinite dragon had fallen.


	14. Angel Kisses ((ML))

**Angel Kisses**

* * *

.

.

 _"Uncle Gajeel!"_

 _._

 _The unsuspecting dragon slayer didn't have enough time to so much as turn his head before the young boy was latching onto his arm and climbing his way up onto his back. "Yo kid, what's shakin'?" He rumbled affectionately. He tipped his gaze upwards to meet the sapphire one that stared down from the top of his head. "Little freaking monkey – Just like yer mom."_

 _._

 _Stepping towards the pair, Neirah shook her head with a soft smile, the fond memories warming her cheeks._

 _._

 _"Hey, Shads!" Levy crooned in excitement, throwing her arms around her dear friend. "What's the matter? I haven't seen you around the guild for ages!"_

 _._

 _Neirah's laughter was warm and affectionate as it slipped past her lips. "Well if my brother's struggle to entertain my son is any indicator, I've had my hands full," she admitted proudly. "Are you two going to be in the parade this year?"_

 _._

 _"Well of course we are! We are Fairy Tail wizards after all!" Levy cheered enthusiastically. "Lilian is really excited about it. Pantherlily just took her to get some treats before we get started. What about you guys?"_

 _._

 _Neirah's smile grew warmer as she tipped her gaze slightly over one shoulder the moment Laxus' palm found her collar. "Not this time…" She whispered softly, placing a gentle kiss on his fingertips upon parting. "This year, we're going to watch it with Alex."_

 _._

 _Neirah turned her gaze towards where Alex demanded a returned Pantherlily's transformation and laughed out loud next to his cousin Lilian when the Exceed obliged them with a fierce roar. "Sometimes I fear that the influence of the men in his family is going to be my undoing." She admitted silently to Levy at her side. She adjusted a wild strand of her hair delicately behind her ear as she watched Alex enjoying the festivities offered by the Fantasia Festival with his uncle and cousin close to his side. "He's such a good father… but what do you expect from the world's best brother."_

 _._

 _Levy tipped her curious gaze to one side and waved her hand in front of Neirah's vacant expression. "Is everything ok?" She mewled in concern._

 _._

 _Neirah shook her thoughts free before tipping her gaze to where Laxus was lingering nearby, but not near enough to include himself in their conversation. "It's a big day for both of them," she concluded softly. She offered Levy a sisterly embrace before approaching her king. Even after she had laid her palm against his cheek, he still seemed to linger in his thoughts for a moment before realising that she was pressed against him. "Smile…" Neirah whispered gently while laying her hands on his chest. She smiled in encouragement and tipped her tender ocean gaze to where he looked down at her in question. "Your son is going to remember this day for the rest of his life." He responded to her tender encouragement in the way she would have expected; with a soft smile and a gentle kiss._

 _._

 _"Ew! Gross!" Alex exclaimed in disgust, wrinkling his little nose defiantly._

 _._

 _"Yea Mom and Dad!" Gajeel chirped in, mimicking the youthful boy's gesture._

 _._

 _"Icky!" Lilian chanted._

 _._

 _Laxus scoffed and rolled his eyes, not sure if he appreciated Alex's godfather's input on the matter._

 _._

 _Not far away, Wakaba and Macao were lingering in the shadows, watching through a cloud of smoke as the festivities unfolded around them. "You think they'll let him join the guild when he's older?" Wakaba jeered through the teeth that tightly clenched his pipe._

 _._

 _"No doubt about it." Macao retorted swiftly. "But with those two in his blood, he's bound to be a handful."_

 _._

 _Wakaba sighed with a wry smile. "Man, I'm getting' too old for this…"_

 _._

 _Alex flailed excitement from his father's shoulders, trying to take in all the magical sights of the parade at once. "Wow! Dad! DAD, LOOK!"_

 _._

 _Laxus' expression humbled into a quiet smile. "I see them, Champ."_

 _._

 _"Look at all the glitter things! Magic is so cool! I want to learn it right now!" Alex's brow creased impatiently as he kicked out his little feet against his dad's chest. "Daddy I can't see Uncle Gajeel! There's too much in the way! I promised Uncle that I would watch him play his guitar!"_

 _._

 _Laxus drew a deep breath before feeling the encouraging squeeze his wife offered his fingers. After a silent moment of contemplation, he silently raised his hand to display his spread thumb and forefinger._

 _._

 _Alex cooed softly and reached out with tiny hands to clasp his father's gesture. "Who're you waving at, Daddy?"_

 _._

 _"Not waving, Kiddo," he assured him confidently. "It's a message."_

 _._

 _"A message?"_

 _._

 _Neirah sealed her eyes tight over her tight-lipped smile as her son attempted to mimic the gesture to himself._

 _._

 _"A message," Laxus continued. "It means that even if we can't see them, we'll be lookin' their way."_

 _._

 _"A message…" Alex repeated. He looked down to where his mother had thrown her own finger into the air in support of her husband and his face knotted sceptically. "They'll see it?"_

 _._

 _"Trust me, Champ…"_

 _._

 _Alex looked down at his spread fingers again before his little hand was grasping his father's hair to steady him as he reached out and threw his hand up with his parents. "Look Uncle Gajeel! I'm looking your way!"_

 _._

 _It took a minute for Alex to clear his gaze of all the parade props and notice the entire Fairy Tail guild had responded to his gesture, a sea of acknowledgement unfolding at his command. "Dad! Dad, look! They're doing it too!"_

 _._

 _Neirah's tight lips jittered as she watched Laxus look back at the son draped over his brow, beaming with pride. It was a beautiful blessing in the light of everything that had happened. Makarov wasn't long from the world that spring and she knew that it still gripped Laxus' heart. But he was moving forward on the path laid out before them. This was their life, their happiness, and he was seizing it for their family._

.

 _Levy's chest tightened as she held a squirmy Lilian in her arms, both of them holding their hands high in the air. 'In that moment that we passed them by, I had never seen any three people look so happy. I'll never forget that day. When I stopped to think about all of their fighting and arguing, it was hard to believe that their four-year-old son was waving back at us from his father's shoulders. They had grown together through the good and bad, and when I looked back at them, they weren't the same people who took years to admit that they cared about each other. Because in that moment, I'd never seen anyone more in love. Alex is a charmer, and we all know that he's going to be a handsome little handful when he hits his teens… but we'll deal with that when the day comes. Because that's what family's do. We're always looking each other's way.'_

 _._

* * *

.

Laxus didn't think it was possible for an eight-year-old to slam a door hard enough that he fretted it'd tear right off its hinges and take the walls down around him; he knew. He'd tried. He knew the kind of anger and resentment that had to boil over from inside a broken heart to accomplish such things… to be so cold. It was something he never wanted to see passed on to his son. He stared at the back of the door for a long moment. Alex had expected him to leave, turn his back and hide his tears, but he didn't. They fell, however silently, as he listened to his boy whimper into his pillow for the hundredth night straight.

.

He was a boy once, watching cold eyes hide the weight of guilt and shame, and like his son, he too had blamed the man he watched stay strong all those years… never once stopping to ask him if it hurt him too. Like his grandfather before him, he turned away and shouldered the burden compassionately, as a guild master and a father.

.

He didn't want to linger, but night and night again, he found himself growing weaker. If he had to admit, in the deepest corners of his aching heart, he missed being his son's hero; being the reason he smiled and laughed. Now the boy who used to ride on his shoulders and demand the world was hiding behind shattered secrets and resentment, just waiting for the day he could leave it all behind. He couldn't stand to see the hate and anger in the boy's eyes, eyes that belonged to his mother. He felt hollow, like every responsibility he'd shouldered in the past ten years of his life had been failed. He'd failed as a father, as a saint, a guild master –

.

His temples ached as he sealed his eyes more tightly than he felt he was capable of, tears rolling freely to meet teeth bared below.

.

As a husband.

.

He had to walk away from his son's door if only to conceal the sharp inhale that whined with his sentiment. He spent his days, no matter how long, denying every scar he carried. He had to be strong for his son, and for a guild that had lost a friend, a sister. He wished he had someone left to turn to, someone to look back at him and tell him that it was alright to cry.

.

But he didn't.

.

The only one who had been there to hold him when he needed to surrender to weakness, was gone. She died in his arms, and if he had to admit, a bit of him had died with her.

.

He stepped into his room at the end of the hall, slowly closing the door behind him. If he was going to sit and blubber like a pathetic fool, he didn't want the rest of the world observing him. He pressed his shoulders against the door and raised his forearm over his tilted head. The heat of silent tears against the back of his wrist were the only sources of warmth he could seem to find anymore, but he'd willingly freeze entirely if he could turn back time and rewrite the events that caused them to fall.

.

His chest ached as he drew in a breath, sickening himself with how selfish it made him feel. He hated how deeply he could breath knowing that he'd forfeit all the air in his lungs just to see her resuscitated. There came a hitch in his breath as he lowered his hand to his chest, wrenching his fingers against his flesh like he tried to bury them in his bones. There was a painful shudder in his next choked whimper and he debated tearing his heart out entirely; what good was the damn thing if it didn't beat…

.

Pain turned to rage as he barred teeth and drew the butt of each fist together to press them to his brow. He took a few deep breaths, holding fast in the quiet room, as he remembered her smile. It was the way her eyes shone with the emotions she tried to hide. He couldn't count the number of times he'd done something to anger her, but he was always able to slither back into her arms because her eyes never stopped loving him. He always knew just how far he could go.

.

All it took was a smile. It was something so small, but it meant the world to her. And he had to admit, if there was an afterlife, golden plains or sandy shores, if she could see him, she wasn't seeing enough of it. Finally, he let seized and burning tendons relax so that he might see exhausted fingers back through his hair. Following, he dropped his head and filled his chest with the reassurance that was life.

.

And he smiled.

.

Even if he was a failure, so long as he had one person look up to him for the strength to go on, he had to be strong. He promised himself he'd be strong, for his guild, and the little boy born his mother's shadow.

.

Like every night before, he'd found the strength to cross their room, taking in the sights that hadn't changed since the day she'd last arranged them. He hated the lucky cat that stared back at him with soulless ebony eyes since the day she'd set it on their dresser, but even it remained. He reached out and slipped a sheer, lavender nighty from the back of her old desk chair. It never made sense to him, to hang it on a chair when they had ample drawer and closet space. But she always did. When it wasn't on her flesh, it rested on that chair.

.

Once he'd retrieved the delicate article, he slowly backed himself to the bedside until the mattress could buckle his knees and see him sat upon it. It was her favourite. She always claimed that it was the gentlest and most comfortable of her nightgowns. He never argued, but feeling the soft, airy material between his fingers assured him that it's satin had nothing on the smoothness of her skin. His smile was still faint with reminiscence. It had always been a little big for her, it had to be to accommodate for the weighty chest on her tiny body. Even while she carried their son, one strap still liked to flop over her shoulder. He'd always lift it back up for her, but the truth was that he liked it there. He liked to taste the skin beneath it and feel her writhe against tender kisses that tickled her senses.

.

A hoarse catch had him finding breath the moment he watched a tear hit the transparent material between his fingers, it was the only way he had noticed that he was holding it. He quickly smeared the betrayal aside with one of his thumbs and sniffed back the return of weakness. It was impossible to think that after four years without her, it might still retain her scent, but he refused to sully the garment. The remaining bottle of her perfume on the nightstand could take care of the blossoms he knew would be on her skin beneath it. Sometimes, the scent it carried was the only thing that lulled him to sleep at night.

.

Catching the crystal bottle in his line of sight had also drawn his attention to the dark window ledge, reminding him of how late the hour was. Sometimes, the days blurred together, but he always knew when it was night time by the absence of her greeting upon the ledge. Every night she used to light the candle that now sat uncharred upon the dusty sill and every time he looked its way, he was reminded that guild master or not, he should probably clean more than he did. She had always been his light, and without it, he feared to stumble in the dark. But if it wasn't her sun, casting rays of hope and life into his heart, then he'd rather the dark, for fear of what he'd become and what he might see given luminescence.

.

"You could've broken it any other way." He hated how hoarse and tired his voice sounded; like it was rarely used anymore. He tipped his brow into one palm, bracing his elbow against his knee. His eyes burned with the presence of agony as eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion. "You could have found another man, another continent. You could have beat me, hated me, used me…" He adjusted his fingertips against the bridge of his nose and sharply inhaled along clearing his throat. "This… it was too much." He slowly shook his head, silently brooding on his thoughts. "Anything but this…"

.

He flinched alertly when he heard the door down the hall disturb. After accepting that reality waited for no one, he laid down his wife's gown and raised to his feet. He crossed the room to the sound of the front door opening and by the time he had gotten to the dark windowsill, Alex was already standing on the porch and barely visible from above. He heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head. Any minute he would catch the sight of the pillow Alex was toting before the boy determined that running away wasn't an option. Then he would hear the front door-

.

He closed his eyes with a sigh of relief as he caught the sight of the boy's pillow. Moments later, the front door closed, the tumbler clicked, and padded footsteps were climbing the stairs. He turned from where he'd hitched a shoulder to the windowsill and listened for his bedroom door to click open and closed.

.

There was a long moment between open and closed that had Laxus' brow creased with suspicion. Alex never slept with his door open, so the only conclusion he could weigh was that the boy was hesitating. What he wasn't sure of, was whether the boy contemplated fleeing to his uncle's house, or maybe…

.

Closed.

.

Laxus pushed off the window frame and returned to the bedside. Alex often made threats about leaving, most openly to Gajeel's house. But as he aged, the boy was starting to realise that his 'fun and cool' uncle was closer to his father than anyone would care to realise, and the weight of his little sister's death was just as heavy in his heart. No, Gajeel would offer the child sanction for a day and tattle to his father the next. None other in the guild was any different. If nothing else, Laxus was respected enough by the guild he was left that they would see the child home every night until he grew to learn that there was nothing either of them could do the day they lost his mother.

.

With a humbled sigh and the relief of knowing he was still a father, for at least one more night, he adjusted his pillow on the same side of the bed he always slept.

.

He had mixed feelings about sleep. There were the good nights, the kind where his dreams would fill with all the hope and sunny garbage that spelt a happy ending. He simultaneously loved and hated those nights simply because, no matter how sickeningly sweet, they came to an end the moment he opened his eyes.

.

Then, there were the bad nights. These nights were filled with blood and rage, seeing tormented memories brought to life to replay over and over. There were so many screams so many roars of anguish and defeat that he couldn't tell whose were whose. In some of these terrorising visions, he couldn't tell who had truly ended the life he'd held in his arms that day; the assailant, his son… him. The worst of all his recollected nightmares was the one that saw his brother-in-arms looking down at the lifeless body of his little sister, asking Laxus why he'd done what he'd done. No matter how frantically Laxus tried to explain, his son sealed his fate by pointing the finger and accusing him as the villain.

.

And sometimes… when he woke up, he wondered if maybe he was.

.

The only thing he could hope for when his head finally hit the pillow at night was a dreamless sleep free of phantoms or fairy tales.

.

* * *

.

There was a gentle ruffling in the comforter as small hands carried clumsy weight up over Laxus' shoulder, stumbling over sleeves far too long for little arms. "Momma? Momma help, I fall," came the gentle coo of distress. Gangly little white feathers flopped about in a frantic frenzy to try and aid the child's weighted climb. "Daddy too big…"

.

Neirah's heart swelled with tender emotion and a sad smile curled her lips. "That is because your father isn't a tree, and not meant to be climbed." Neirah swept back white gold bangs out of her young daughter's face and offered the child a helping hand.

.

"Awe… he's sweeping again," the young girl proceeded to whine. "He's always sweeping when we visit."

.

She watched her mother take a solemn seat on the bed next to her husband, the mattress undisturbed by her presence. "Of course he is, Sweetie," she assured the child upon laying her palm against Laxus' shoulder. "If he wasn't… we wouldn't be here."

.

The child's brow knotted in distress as she puffed her cheeks out, displeased that her mother's disposition had dropped substantially since their arrival. Thinking quickly on her toes, the fair little girl smiled and flopped down into her mother's lap. "I saw Daddy smile today!" Her announcement had her beaming with pride as her mother's spirits seemed to lift, if only momentarily. "When he was looking at that bug screen!" It delighted the young girl to hear her mother laugh, it caused her to laugh in musical unison. Neirah would never admit to the pale child that the transparent garment in her father's hands was an old nightgown of hers. The sweet song of the girl's hum filled the quiet room with a musical choir as she swooned contentment. "Daddy has a nice smile when he uses it."

.

Neirah's eyes filled with tears that she refused to show the youth. "He does, doesn't he?" She heaved a humbled sigh and reached out to prevent her daughter's frustrated fingers from trying to adjust her father's sleeping features. The child still didn't quite understand why she couldn't be a part of her father's life, or hug him and tell him she loved him even though they'd never met. In his world, she had never been born, and it was a world her mother was no longer a part of.

.

The snuggly four-year-old wriggled in her mother's arms as she grunted in youthful defiance, struggling to escape her mother's lap. "Just watch…" Neirah whispered softly at the top of the girl's head. She could tell the child wasn't pleased with this order, but she complied. "That's what angels do."

.

Neirah joined her girl in silent observation, just as desperate to lay her hands on the man she loved as her baby daughter was to meet him. Sometimes she'd visited alone when tears and nightmares dragged him from his sleep. She would lay her head upon his shoulder, her hand on his back as he hunched over the bedside and begged the gods to turn back time for them. Sometimes, she'd followed him to the guild and watched the shadow of the man he was, simply exist as the world turned around him. But most nights, she sat, in the dark, eager to hold him and kiss his fears away. But in the end, she only sat… watching as his pain consumed him.

.

"Daddy's handsome, isn't he, Momma?"

.

Neirah looked down to where the child had settled in her lap to patiently observe. In a moment of desperation, she tried to hide her pain behind goofy giggles as she smothered her daughter with love. "The very most handsomest!" She crooned.

.

"Momma, that's not how you say it!"

.

"Oh? How would you say it?" Neirah teased, confining the rattling youth as she squealed and squirmed for freedom. "How would you tell daddy he's the awesomest daddy in the whole wide world?!"

.

"Grandpa Ryverika says-"

.

The raspberry Neirah offered her child's denied neckline had seen her words swiftly interrupted. "You don't listen to everything that ol' lizard tells you. I'm your momma and I know best."

.

When the youth's giggling fit subsided, she sat beside her father, only momentarily trying to pat his head before remembering that she couldn't. "Momma? Can you tell me a story about Daddy?"

.

Neirah smiled and braced herself alongside the two with a small smile, stroking her daughter's fair, voluminous waves from her face. "I tell you stories about Daddy all the time, Sweetie."

.

"I know…" The little porcelain child roughly smoothed her unruly curls from her face. "I just wish I could meet him too." She turned and flashed bright blue eyes up at her mother with an innocent inquiry. "Do you think Daddy would like me?"

.

Neirah's heart was far too fragile to answer such inquiries and she was sure any moment she would burst into hysterics right before the child she fought desperately to be strong for. The girl didn't waver towards sadness, but rather disappointment. She knew she could never run to her father and refer to him as such, but that didn't stop her from dreaming. "Of course!" Neirah defended more passionately than she'd originally intended. "Here…" She gently pulled her daughter back against her and sat back against the headboard of the bed so that they could both be close to Laxus while he slept. "You win. I'll tell you a little story."

.

The child's eyes lit up like stars as she looked back at her mother with another beaming smile. "Yeaaah," she gasped out in a long, exhilarated breath.

.

Neirah's heart warmed as she snuggled the delicate creature. "Your daddy asked me for a little girl every day," she whispered while informing the child as if it were a secret.

.

"Every day!?" She gasped. "That's a lot!"

.

"Every day…" Neirah murmured. She gently combed her fingers through her daughter's curls as she watched her husband sleep. The day she had lost her life in his arms was the day she intended on telling him that they were finally expecting, expecting the little girl she captured in her embrace. "He said nothing would make him happier…" She continued vacantly, refusing to blink until her tears had dried. She couldn't let them fall. "He was sad that Mommy wouldn't play house with him and share her tea, so he wanted someone who would."

.

"I would have tea with Daddy," the sweet dove cooed. "I would make him the best tea!"

.

Neirah smiled and pulled the child's bangs back so that she could place a gentle kiss on her brow. "I know you would, Sweetie," she assured the girl. She'd known full well that Laxus wasn't particularly fond of either of the things he'd admitted he'd do for a daughter. "You'd invite Mommy to your party too, right?"

.

"Of course, Momma…"

.

Noticing that her baby girl was staring back at her solemnly with expectant weakness in her vulnerable expression, Neirah quickly livened up and dismissed her pain. "Then again, maybe he just wanted twice the cookies every time Mommy baked them!"

.

"I help make cookies!"

.

"I think that's what he hoped for," she purred upon giving the child an affectionate squeeze. "Your father loves his cookies! I used to get him in trouble all the time for stealing them from your brother."

.

The girl gasped at the thought. "He stole Awex's cookies!" She reached out and waggled her finger at her sleeping father to scold him. "No Daddy! No steal cookies!" She turned and looked back at her mother inquisitively. "Is that why Daddy and Awex fight so bad?"

.

"I don't think so, Sweetie…" Neirah whispered softly while taking her back in her arms. "I think they fight because they both hurt, but don't know how to tell each other their real feelings."

.

"I wish I could tell them," the little girl whimpered. "I would tell them that they love each other and that fighting is bad and hurts people."

.

"You tell them, my girl…" Neirah mewled softly, trying to keep her voice clear of the hoarse crack rising with her anguish.

.

"I don't want Daddy and Big Brother to hurt anymore…"

.

Neirah gently shook her head, whimpering her frail reply through her heartache. "Me neither."

.

"Grandpa Ryverika says times heal, but I'm already grown and Daddy still cries."

.

Neirah released her daughter and let her crawl to her father's side in order for her to gently kiss his head. "Grown is a strong word, baby girl." Neirah reached out and tweaked her daughter's little toes that were barely visible beneath her plain cotton gown.

.

"I don't like to see Daddy cry…"

.

Neirah rubbed the girls hunched back as she watched her father, her expression denied to her mother entirely. "Me neither, Pumpkin."

.

The child's sapphire gaze was drowned in big, glossy tears as she slowly turned to face her mother again, her cheeks rosy with the restraint she used to try and hold back her tears. "Momma, I don't want to be an angel anymore…"

.

"Shh, oh baby, please don't cry." Neirah whimpered weakly, clutching the girl to her breast for reassurance.

.

"I want a name…" the child whispered with her gentle voice muffled by her mother's embrace. "I want Daddy to give me a name."

.

"He will," Neirah whined faintly. She stroked the back of the girl's head as her weak and teary gaze fell upon her slumbering husband. "We'll find a way to tell him about you, I promise."

.

"I trust you, Momma… I trust…"

.

Neirah gently pulled away from her daughter and helped her to dry her tears. "There, no more, kay? We have to be strong just like Daddy and Big Brother."

.

"Kay…" The child whimpered, smearing her palms against her damp cheeks. "Momma? Can I go back and visit Awex quick?"

.

"Sweetie, you know we don't have a lot of time…"

.

"I know," she rushed. "But I forgot to give him his kiss."

.

Neirah heaved an exhausted sigh before giving the child a gentle nod. "You have to be quick, though, ok?"

.

"Kay," she whispered softly. She raised from the bed and padded her way through the halls with her fluffy, feathered appendages flopping about clumsily between her shoulders.

.

With the departure of the tiny child, Neirah was left in silence at her husband's bedside. It didn't take long for the emotions in her chest to start pouring out her tired eyes. She slowly turned to face her slumbering husband who hadn't disturbed since they'd arrived. Even in sleep, he couldn't seem to find peace. She whimpered weakly as her first tear fell to the bedding, absent the damp stain of its presence. Since she'd left his side, he'd always worn an expression of vacant anguish, it was the mask that concealed the man she knew was dying inside.

.

Alex hadn't helped. She loved her son, but she ached over the torment and blame the boy offered his father. She felt the weight of guilt on her chest as she raised trembling fingers to brush back his hair only to see the strands undisturbed by her touch. "Your daughter is so kind," she whimpered tenderly through a desperate smile on her lips. "Full of so much love and curiosity. She wants to know everything about her father. She thinks that he's the most amazing person in the world." She ran her fingers over his bare arm, wishing all the while that she was beneath it. "If it weren't for her, I would have forgotten how to laugh a long time ago."

.

Neirah wiped her tears with the back of her index finger. "I wish you could see just how perfect she is… She was everything you wanted and more." The reflection of her wedding band on her pillow caught the moonlight spilling in through their bedroom window and encouraged her to look down at her empty ring finger. She tried to run her fingers over its surface only to be denied the lines of her possession once more. Instead, she reached out and laid her hand on top of his, yearning for the feeling of the warmth that was absent in their embrace. Her lower lip trembled as she watched him sleep, so painfully unaware that the woman he loved was no more than an arm's reach away. "Laxus…" She whimpered frailly, shaking agonised tears from of her eyes. She threw herself down against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him even if she couldn't feel his heartbeat beneath her cheek. "I miss you so much." She rolled her face from side to side, her tears wet upon her face, but his shirt no damper. "Is it cruel or kind that I'm this close to you but can never again feel your breath on my skin?" She raised her head and looked down at his stagnating expression, desperate to see a sign that he could hear her, feel her. To be so near, but unacknowledged, she had never felt more like Fairy Tail's Shadow…

.

She repeated her efforts to sweep her fingers through his hair, receiving no more response from the touch than she had before. "I know it's hard, but I hope you realise that you're holding strong. I've seen it, my son begging forgiveness for his actions. He asks for his father's forgiveness, not knowing he already has it." She wished that of all the sensations she had lost along with her life, the pain of loss had been one of them. "You need to talk to him, Laxus. He doesn't understand that he's not to blame. I know he says things, but he feels responsible." Her lips trembled as she pressed them together and tried to withhold devastated wails. "Neither of you are…" She rested her chin back against the arms she'd draped over his slumbering mass. "Please… I can't watch the people I love tear each other apart like this…"

.

She looked out over their bedroom; nothing had changed. A gentle smile warmed her heart as she came to rest her gaze on the aged bottle of liquor he'd been gifted on their wedding night, withholding the same capacity it had come breakfast the first morning they shared as husband and wife. "It might never be easy, but I'm glad you're fighting for it," she whispered. "And I'll always believe in you, to do what's right for our son…"

.

"I repeated my father's mistakes. My early retirement and stagnation left me weak when a threat presented itself. If anyone is to blame for this, it's me," she whispered before leaning forward to rest her head on his pillow. "Not my prince… not my king…" She reached out to him again, gently brushing her fingertips over his lips as she observed his troubled expression. "I wish you could hear me," she mewled with a helpless desperation for any sign that her presence was recognised. "I would give anything to tell you how proud I am… how much I love you, to make you smile again…" She tipped her brow to his despite him remaining unresponsive. "Do you see me?" She whispered softly. "When you close your eyes, does it warm your heart to know that I'm watching over you?" She smiled back at him as she closed her eyes, her imagination trying desperately to remind her of what it felt like to feel his touch in reciprocation, but memories were fading with time... "That I'm always loving you…?"

.

Neirah withheld her affections when she was rejoined by her sleepy little angel. "I'm ready to go, Momma," she cooed softly upon climbing up on the bed next to Neirah. "We'll be back soon, though, right? I think Awex needs more visits… I told him that he and Daddy need to stop fighting but I don't think he could listen..."

.

Neirah sat up and gently pecked the child's forehead moments before she'd bopped it against Neirah's arm. "As soon as we can," she assured her.

.

Neirah scooped her young daughter in her arms with a sad smile as they shared one last look towards the slumbering Laxus, and moments after, Neirah's own golden wings were unfurling in a brilliant burst of light.

.

"We'll come back soon, Daddy," the child sang sadly as she reached down to pat his head upon parting. "I love you."

.

Neirah couldn't help but see a single tear fall in her daughter's presence as she leant in for goodbyes. "Good night, Laxus." She whispered tenderly, laying her lips upon his brow for a long, gentle moment. It broke her heart to have to retract her affections but the night was fading fast around them and with it, their visitation. "Thank you… for the smile."

.

* * *

.

He shifted, a sleepy groan rattling the walls of his chest as he stirred and was blinded by the light illuminating his room. He raised his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose and gave their sleepy presence a rub to encourage a more effective response to the sunshine that flooded through his window with dawn's arrival. He found comfort in the presence of the day's warmth that morning that he woke from a dreamless sleep, full of hope and the courage he needed to face another day.

.

"Dad...?"

.

Laxus was swift to roll over and face the door as it opened to reveal the humble request of his son. "Alex?" He murmured softly, adjusting himself to look more fatherly and less like a heartbroken fool who had cried himself to sleep for the umpteenth time. "You're up early, what's wrong?"

.

"You're up early too…" If Laxus didn't know any better, he might've mistaken his son's quip for playful banter. "Is something wrong with you?"

.

Laxus smiled gratefully, a sadness in his weighted expression that he couldn't seem to shake. Instead of listing the many flaws he knew he had, he prepared a more mature method of response. "I guess that's fair." He patted the bedside that his son approached and offered him a seat. "Is the sun keeping you up? 'Cause I'd put it out of the damn sky if it made you happy."

.

Alex gently shook his head, refusing to make eye contact with his father. "Do you think... maybe we could work on my magic today… together?"

.

Every once in a while, he could feel it, the warmth of his wife's encouraging embrace reassuring him that everything would be alright, and it always seemed to come when he needed it most. "Sure," he murmured gently. Growing confident, he hesitantly wrapped his arm around his boy and held him to his heart as he ruffled the child's wild auburn mane. "I didn't really feel up to dukin' it out with the sun today anyways."

.

It lifted spirits when Alex offered a small smile with his dad's lame attempt at humour. "Like you could put out the sun…" Alex murmured wryly.

.

Laxus took his son strongly in his arms and held his head to his chest in a more serious manner. "There was a time when you thought I could," he whispered vaguely. He closed his eyes with disdain as he felt his shirt dampen beneath his son's face.

.

"I'm sorry, Dad…"

.

"Yea… me too…"


	15. Smile

**Smile**

.

.  
Gajeel tipped his gaze to the window from where he had rested his head against his fist. The guild was back to bustling, members smiling and laughing; just like old times. But it didn't stop him from hearing the first few raindrops as they hit the glass panes.

.

Speaking of old times.

.

Levy turned to face him with a baffled expression, Lily laughing in her lap as she read through a book with her mother. "Gajeel? Is everything alright?" Lily turned and offered the same confused expression as she watched her dad walk away.

.

He didn't bother looking back at them as he started through the hall. "Yea, it's nothin'." He assured them confidently. "Just gonna… take a walk."

.

Lily wrinkled her nose with the furrowing of her brows. "But daddy hates the rain?" She offered curiously, tipping her gaze back to look up at her mother.

.

"I…" Levy smiled sadly as she lowered her gaze to her daughter's. "It's just…" She flinched when Lily crawled up out of her lap and started out the door after her father. "Lily!" Levy sighed and clasped her hand to her chest in the guild's entrance as she watched her chase after Gajeel. She rolled her head back and turned her gaze skyward, watching the rain overtake a once sunny day. 'It's hard; to think that just a few short years later, we would look upon the events of that day with heartache.' She thought sadly, the clouds breaking in her mind to the memories of the same day years before. 'The sun, that shone so brightly that day, just seemed to mock us when we thought about how hard the rain poured the day we gathered again to lay infinity to rest; crying more tears than the sky ever could.' She slowly turned to look over her shoulder to survey the guild and after a brief moment of analysis, she bowed her head sadly with the realisation that their guild master wasn't present. With a solemn sigh, she slowly returned to her seat, he steps heavier with the weight of her despair. She closed the book she was reading to her daughter and slid a separate one out of her pack; opening it up to the image on her mind. With tears in her eyes, her fingers rolling over the faded lines, she let a warm smile curl her lips. "I miss you, Shads…" She whispered out softly. "We all do…"

.

.

.

Gajeel stood in the rain staring dismally down into the weathered stone at his feet, his little sister's name carved into the polished surface.

.

 _*"Big brother?"_

 _._

 _"Mn?" He grunted in acknowledgement, neither of their wandering gazes dropping from where they watched the stars above._

 _._

 _"I heard some people in the city the other day talking about something."_

 _._

 _"That's great..."_

 _._

 _"They said if you ask for something nicely enough, you might get it." Gajeel tipped his gaze indirectly her way, watching her stare sadly into the sky. "Do you think that's true?"_

 _._

 _"You're askin' the wrong person, kid..."_

 _._

 _"If it is... who do I ask? Them? You? The stars?" She whispered breathlessly. Gajeel diverted his gaze the moment he saw the shimmer of large tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Who has the power to bring him back to me?" She didn't have to blink for the weight of her tears to be freed with her gentle whimper; the strands of diamond extending over her cheeks without a snivel. "He never taught me about who to ask..." Finally, she turned to look at him with anguish in her youthful expression. "Does that mean he doesn't want to come back to me?" Gajeel sat up nearby with a solemn expression, the young girl unaware of how closely he could relate to her loss._

 _._

 _"Look, I don't think it's that easy." He huffed out shortly. "You can't just teach someone what to believe in... They just have it in them." He stumbled out awkwardly in hopes of strangely comforting the child._

 _._

 _"Do you?" His breath caught with the force of her innocent inquiry shaking his resolve._

 _._

 _"What?"_

 _._

 _"Do you believe?"_

 _._

 _After a long moment, he turned away defiantly with a disgruntled scoff. "Man, you ask a lot of questions." He rumbled distantly, lying back down in the grass. "Just try to get some sleep." A long and silent moment passed between them before he heard the girl shuffle through the grass towards him. He remained perfectly still, his eyes closed as she paused nearby with his anticipation of her curling up in her blanket not far from where he was lying. He wasn't expecting her to crawl right up onto his chest without a sound, wrapping her arms around him with a soft shutter. Where normally he'd scold her for being so overbearingly clingy, he was immediately silenced into submission by her gentle squeak._

 _._

 _"I believe in you, big brother..."*_

.

After a long moment of silent contemplation, he knelt by the muddy grave to lay a cat with twisted whiskers at its foot. He watched the rain roll over the cat's tattered features, his permanently smiling face beaming back at him in encouragement. He rose again; the action of stuffing his hands into his pockets mirroring the restraint in his solemn expression. "Hey, kid..." He rumbled softly, watching the rain slide over the smooth, unresponsive stone. "You know it's rainin'... right...?" He smiled weakly back at the feline with a soft sigh. "Maybe you should've been with the kid instead." He teased softly, tipping the cat back upright with the toe of his boot. "We could've used a little luck that day." He laughed softly at the thought and pushed his hair back out of his face.

.

"Daddy… Why are you… smiling…?"

.

Gajeel turned quickly to where his daughter had found her way to his side. "Lily?" He forced out in surprise, watching her approach. "Damn kid, you're gonna end up sick if you're out here in this!"

.

"But…" She reached out and wrapped one of her little hands in the material of his pants, clinging to his side sadly. "Why are you smiling... over Aunty Neirah's…"

.

"'Cause it's all the kid ever wanted…" He assured her softly, ruffling up her damp mess of hair. "I know you probably don't remember much about 'er… But it was her favourite thing. Makin' others smile even if she couldn't."

.

Lily tipped her perky expression back his way, blinking big, chocolate coloured eyes his way. "Really? That sounds so nice of her!" She crooned affectionately.

.

"Yea…" He mused softly. "So how about we buck up and show 'er a good one?" He demanded enthusiastically, hoisting her up onto his shoulders with a sly smile. "What do ya say, kiddo?"

.

Lily met his peripheral gaze with glossy eyes before she lit up with a bright smile at her father's command. His chest actually ached with the race in his heart as he held one hand up in front of his eyes in defence of the rays breaking the dreary clouds above them. He listened to Lily giggling above him, chanting about how her aunt made the rain go away and if he had of been alone, he would have hit his knees in a fit of agonised tears. But the way Lily laughed gleefully from atop his shoulders; he wouldn't dare ruin the moment so selfishly. "Way to go kid." He rumbled hoarsely, his voice cracking with pent emotion as they strode away. "Infinity's smilin' right back at ya…"

.

He tried to keep his steps light as they left Lucky sitting in the breaking rays of sunlight chasing away the rain. "Daddy?" Lily cooed innocently, breaking Gajeel's train of thought.

.

"What's up?" He responded swiftly, trying his hardest to shake the memories of his little sister's weight on his shoulders.

.

"If Aunty wanted everyone to smile, why is the Master always so stormy?" She asked softly, causing her father to smile with her choice in vocabulary. "Why won't uncle smile for her too?"

.

Gajeel meditated on the thought for a moment, wishing that Levy was there to offer a quick and witty response to the each of the twenty questions he knew were approaching. "He's just… got a lot on his mind. Guild master stuff is probably pretty complicated." He forced out awkwardly.

.

"But all he does is sit and brood in a corner somewhere?"

.

"Where the heck did you even learn that word?!" He demanded with a hot blush as his child talked him in circles.

.

"Mommy uses it all the time."

.

"Yea well…" He sighed softly in defeat. "I guess sometimes, even if you know it's what someone wants, you can't always make the pain go away. Y'know?"

.

Lily seemed displeased with this response as she laid her chin on the top of her father's head in thought. "You know what I think?!" She demanded enthusiastically, thrusting her finger into the air. "We should go visit uncle and make him smile!"

.

Gajeel stared vacantly forwards with the very thought. "D'you remember what type of magic uncle uses?" Gajeel started clumsily.

.

"Lightning, right?" She purred softly. "Why?"

.

"Nevermind…" He dismissed, shaking his head free of thoughts leading to conductivity. "You know, we are gonna pass their place on the way back to the guild."

.

"Yay! And I can play with Alex while we're there!" Lily exclaimed happily.

.

"Well, I unno about that…" He forced out awkwardly. "I don't know if there'll be much playin' goin' o-" He winced as she grabbed up a tight fistful of his hair like reins, yanking on it in command.

.

"Giddy up, horsey! We'll make everyone smile today for Aunty!"

.

"Well… with ambition like that, how can I say no?" He mused proudly. "Let's go find your uncle then, kiddo."

.

.

.

He was thankful that the rain seemed to go as soon as it had come; he didn't need any more of a visual to bring his spirits down. He sat on the edge of their bed, spinning his wedding band around his finger, hers clutched in his free hand. After a long and silent moment, he opened his fingers and looked down into his palm at the golden band _._

 _._

 _*"Awe man, they should have saved Shadow for last." Levy teased softly after Neirah had completed her vows to her new husband. "There's no way Laxus is going to be able to compete with that."_

 _._

 _Lucy blinked a couple of times to clear the tears from her eyes. "That woman has such a way with words." She mewled in admiration. Her brows furrowed impatiently as she ribbed Natsu at her side. "Natsu!" She whispered harshly. "Wake up!"_

 _._

 _Natsu flinched with a grunt of defiance, his groggy senses trying to comprehend his surroundings. "Uhn, is it food time?"_

 _._

 _"You're impossible!" She hissed impatiently._

 _._

 _Laxus looked down to where he held Neirah's hands in his, his fingers rolling between hers in anticipation of marking her eternally as his wife. He was still awe-stricken by her words; still having a hard time believing that anyone could speak so deeply in affection towards him. But there she was, blue eyes smiling back at him, waiting for a similar confession. No, the whole guild waited for it; waited for him to make a fool of himself. He diverted his gaze from hers with a sheepish blush in his cheeks. "You know…" He started softly, having to clear the catch in his voice before he continued. "If you had've asked me to do this a couple of years ago, standin' in front of everyone to talk about feelings? Yea, not a chance…" In the next moment, a small smile was finding his expression with his thoughts. "But now… it's like I want them all to hear it." He reached out with one of his hands and slipped his fingers around her chin. "I mean… anyone can see that you're beautiful… that you're brave and strong… But I want to tell them about all the things… they don't see."_

 _._

 _Natsu was wide awake now, the attention of the entire guild fixated on their friend's divulgence. Freed smiled proudly by his side. 'You can do it, Laxus.'_

 _._

 _"You were such a little brat when we first got back from the island, and there were days I thought for sure you hated me. But in between all the attitude, you always found time to be there for me. When push came to shove, you were always by my side… If you ask me, we made one heck of a team." He watched Neirah laugh softly through welling emotion, the gesture fueling his confidence. "No matter how far I strayed… you always managed to sync up our paths again." With a settling sigh, he took her hands back into his. "You know, I came nose to nose with that old lizard of yours once…" He started lowly, sending the rest of the guild on the edge of their seats._

 _._

 _"The heck?!" Natsu exclaimed softly. "Did he just say what I think he did?!"_

 _._

 _"No doubt!" Happy added under his breath._

 _._

 _"But that's impossible!" Lucy rushed out in disbelief. "Arihana and Damion said that Kairyn was the only one to see him before he died!"_

 _._

 _Neirah's bewildered gaze trembled widely as she watched him, a breathless part in her lips. "That day… he told me that the Shadow exists to remind the hero of their strengths… and some other crap about fate and what not." Neirah quickly clasped a free hand to her lips to stifle her choked laughter with his clumsy quotation of a conversation they had shared shortly after his return to Fairy Tail after Tenrou's team was spared. "...But I'm not a hero..." He murmured more seriously, throwing one of his hands back behind his head. "He was persistent, but I wasn't havin' none of it. I didn't need him to tell me how great you were, I knew it a long time ago. Even if I took so long to say it… I always felt it… I guess I just… didn't really know what it was, at first." He closed his eyes, smiling to himself for a long moment before he finally tipped his gaze back to hers. "Anyways… I told him he'd be seein' stars if he didn't put me back where I belonged..."_

 _._

 _"Leave it to Laxus to threaten a dragon." Mirajane cooed whimsically._

 _._

 _"So manly!" Elfman exclaimed through his river of tears._

 _._

 _"There, there, big brother." Lisanna started, patting his arm as she passed him a handkerchief._

 _._

 _With a determined sigh, he pushed her veil back over her face, laying both hands on either side of her blushing cheeks. "And that's here..." He assured her sternly, eager to kiss her tears away as they streaked the delighted curl in her expression. "Reminding you of how bright you are even if you can't see it yourself."_

 _._

 _"Laxus…" She whimpered out weakly, her heart aching with the power of his confession. She watched the moment silently as he slid her matching band over her finger, spinning it slowly so that the mark of infinity faced their observation. After that, he raised his gaze to hers and smiled down at her affectionately._

 _._

 _"You may be Fairy Tail's Shadow, Ryverika's… Shadow… but you'll always… be my light."_

 _._

 _"If anyone should have any reason that these two should not be joined in marriage, let them now speak or else hereafter forever hold your peace." It was obvious by their dumbfounded expressions that no one had even processed any other words outside of what Laxus had just managed to articulate. "You may now kiss th-" The old man flinched when Neirah leapt forwards with a shrill and affectionate cry, throwing her arms around her husband. With a dismissive sigh, he smiled and finished. "The bride."*_

.

 _*"I've imagined this moment in so many different ways that you couldn't possibly imagine." She whispered silently, sliding her hands over his shoulders. "But the way I want it… the only thing that I've ever wanted from you…" She closed her eyes and smiled up at him, tears rolling over her cheeks nervously. "I just… want to help you smile…" She admitted with a choked, timid laugh. "I want… to be the reason that you're not lonely anymore…"*_

.

He wanted to flinch with the weight of the delicate tear meeting his open palm on the golden band he clutched, but his hands were already shaking so badly that the reaction wouldn't have been noticed. "I told you not to do this to me again…" He whispered hoarsely, curling his fingers into an agonisingly tight fist. "I don't have a damned clue what I'm doing…" His jaw hurt from the force he used to bite down on his rage, but turning it inward was the only way he kept it from prying eyes. "Why did you leave? Neirah, you told me you wouldn't!" He caught his breath and immediately reined in his reaction, pressing his fists to his brow as he watched the shadows dance on the ground. "I can't do this alone… I don't want to…" He forced out softly. "When did we run out of miracles...?"

.

Laxus startled when he heard the rhythmic thumping of Alex's bare footsteps racing through the hall and down the stairs. "Dad! Dad, Uncle Gajeel's here!" He cheered eccentrically.

.

Gajeel smiled down at the boy and lifted a squirmy Lily from his shoulders. "How's it goin', champ?"

.

"Lily, watch this!" He exclaimed throwing out his hands. Lily leapt backwards as sparks danced around his fingertips. "Look! Check it out!"

.

"Cool! Daddy, look! Alex can use magic." Lily cheered.

.

"Oh good, more lightning…" Gajeel groaned dismally, stepping into Neirah's old home. He dropped his palm heavily on Alex's head. "Yer old man kickin' around here somewhere?"

.

"Who're you callin' old?" Gajeel looked past the celebrating kids as they ran out in front of the house chanting impishly to where Laxus had hitched his shoulder up against the door frame. "Hate to break it to ya pal but you and I are on the same sinking ship." He teased.

.

"Oh yea? Well, this 'dad of the year's captaining that ship; thank you very much." Gajeel defended passionately, slowly kicking the door shut on the screaming kids in the yard.

.

"Yea well… so long as I'm still dad by the time the sun goes down every day, I'm lucky…" He muttered distantly.

.

"Not gettin' along too good?" Gajeel offered in observance.

.

"Highs and lows…" Laxus dismissed swiftly, straightening where he stood in order to advance down the hall.

.

"That's gotta be rough…" He rumbled gruffly, rubbing at the strain his daughter had left on the back of his neck. "How're you doin'?"

.

Laxus diverted his gaze, knowing exactly what Gajeel was prying at. "I'm fine."

.

"Really? 'Cause you'd be 'bout the only one…"

.

"I don't need this right now…" Laxus started impatiently, tightening his fist around his late wife's wedding band. "So, if that's why you're here, just don't."

.

"Y'know it'd do you good to know that there are still people who give a damn about the friend that became the guild master." Gajeel cautioned him sternly, unwilling to give an inch in his conquest. "And if there's somethin' Lev and I can do-"

.

"I'm fine… really." Laxus assured him shortly with an exasperated huff of defiance. "I don't expect it to get easier… I'll just get a little stronger every year."

.

"You know what I'm gonna say about that…" He warned. "Laxus, it's one thing to shut the rest of us out but you got a kid to worry about. He's not gonna understand why his dad's turnin' a cold shoulder."

.

"Do you blame me?" Laxus started darkly, tipping his chin in suggestion towards the window. "You look at that kid and tell me that he's not his mother's son."

.

"Think about what you're sayin'. He's just a kid."

.

"I don't want to fuck this up…" Laxus assured him sternly. "Believe me, that's the last thing I want…"

.

"Then let us help." Laxus turned to face Gajeel as the iron dragon settled his palm on his shoulder. "I know about as much about this crap as you do, but Levy reads a lot. She seems to have a pretty good grip on this stuff…" Laxus diverted his gaze uncertainly, unsure of how to respond. "And I'm not tellin' you this to be a jerk." Gajeel encouraged slowly. "I'm tellin' you this for a guild who needs a master, a kid who needs a dad… and as a friend that's missin' a Shadow just as much as you right about now."

.

Laxus tipped his weak and exhausted expression towards a man he'd grown to consider a brother over the years. "And I think you know… what I'm going to say about that…"

.

"She's your light…" Gajeel offered quickly in response. "Not mine…"

.

"I miss her…" Laxus raked his fingers through his hair tensely, trying his hardest not to crack reserve. "I miss her so much…"

.

"Yea… me too…"


	16. The Magic of Christmas

**The Magic of Christmas**

.

.

.

It was late when Laxus finally sauntered up to the porch of his home, fingers reluctant to raise the key to his own front door. He couldn't bear to look up into the darkened bedroom window, not since the day his light left him forever. He slowly opened the door, the feeling of a cool draft sweeping him by on its way out. The storm he'd trekked home in didn't have the strength to hold up a candle to the one that settled inside him around such a festive time of year.

.

He climbed the stairs quietly like he did every night, in no particular rush to be anywhere. He was more than comfortable with working every waking hour and sleeping the rest. He wasn't sure his heart could handle much more. If it weren't for his son, there wouldn't be a tree in the house or a coloured light to be seen; just black and enough of it to mirror the darkness inside him.

.

His attention was drawn towards his son's end of the hall, a flicker of light casting shadows across the floor in front of his partially opened door. Laxus was apprehensive at first, uncomfortable with the thought of approaching his own son with fear of a war erupting into the holidays. For the next couple of days, he would have nowhere to hide.

.

Then he remembered something he tried most days to forget. When he wasn't Fairy Tail's guild master, he was a dad; and humbled enough to admit that he wasn't a very good one. He advanced grimly towards the light, a heavy weight in his heart already causing it to ache with the thought of what was on the other side. He swallowed dryly and laid apprehensive fingertips on the door before him, quietly swinging it open. "Alex?"

.

He hated it, everything about when his little boy turned and looked back at him, especially the look of hate burning passionately behind, what used to be, his mother's eyes. The sensations thrashing about inside him made him feel like an absolute wreck. They were the eyes of the only woman able to bring him to his knees and bend to her every whim. Their effect on him didn't dilute when she passed them along to their son, but unfortunately, the only thing Alex had ever wanted was something he couldn't give him.

.

"It's… getting late." Laxus managed, ignoring the fact that they were looking at late on the flipside.

.

"I know," the boy quipped back coldly. Alex diverted his attention as he packed away his paper and pen. "I won't be long."

.

Small talk wasn't a real strength for either of them. "Anything I can help with?" His heart dropped into his stomach as he heard the boy scoff and turn away entirely. 'Please god, don't let him grow up to be like me…'

.

"I'm not working on magic." Alex informed him shortly, pulling back the covers of his bed.

.

Laxus watched him pace the room for a moment, debating just leaving entirely. But in the spirit of the holidays, he wanted to put forth a little more effort that he usually did. Maybe this Christmas would be the one they finally came to terms. "So, what's been keepin' you up?"

.

"It's Christmas Eve, dad." Alex snorted derivatively, pausing to stand in the middle of the room with his back to his father. He drove his balled fists down on either side of him. "I'm doing the same thing I do every year."

.

Laxus forced a dry swallow down his throat as he watched the floor dampen beneath the tears his son was trying to conceal. Laxus diverted his gaze unsure of what to say to his heartbroken son. "Want me to take it downstairs?" He offered gently.

.

Alex raked his sleeve over his face with a sniff of concealment and finally tucked himself into bed. "I don't care." He fibbed, burying himself in the blankets and blowing out the candle on his bedside. He kept his back to his father the whole time, lingering in the dark alone to try and hide his pain.

.

Laxus knew better. He advanced one step into Alex's blackened room and took up the letter he'd been writing, turning to spare his son one last solemn glance. He didn't need to look at the letter addressed to Santa to know what it said and it took everything he had not to crumple the parchment up between his trembling hands. He parted his lips to wish his son a good night, a merry Christmas, anything… but the words were choked right out of him by the rise of his own sorrow. So instead, he turned and left the boy's room, gently pulling the door shut behind him. The worst of it was that he knew Alex had stopped believing in Santa a long time ago…

.

His descend down the stairs was just as languid as his climb. It had been six years since the day his world tumbled down around him and every year he laid his son's Christmas letter to Santa upon their mantle, he was reminded of how long the loneliness had been creeping back into his life. 'Dear Santa. All I want for Christmas is my mom. Maybe this year you can find a way. Alex.' Or something like that is what it would say; every year. The Christmas of Neirah's death, Alex took one look at the gifts under the tree and ran right back up the stairs to bed and cried himself back to sleep. He didn't open a single one. The tradition had continued ever since. He stared at the tree and tried to swallow back the pain making his throat ache. He wished Santa could find a way too… but he couldn't. There was nothing he could do to bring her back… there was nothing he could do to save her the day she'd died.

.

His brow furrowed as a light knock came on his front door and he turned his quizzical expression to where the snow fell quietly outside his window. He was already late getting home so the likelihood of someone coming to call so late in the night was slim. He considered ignoring it, but as Fairy Tail's guild master, he figured that if it was an emergency he needed to be available. And a distraction would have been nice, Christmas eve of all days.

.

He gave his eyes a quick rub before catching his breath, slowly opening his door. He didn't expect the small and tender smile of Mirajane to greet him on the other side of it. He caught his breath curiously as she tipped her head to the side and spoke through the steam of the two mugs she had clutched in a cardboard travel tray. "Merry Christmas, Master." She cooed warmly, a gentle flush in her cheeks.

.

He heaved a heavy sigh, appreciative of her presence even if he wanted to remain as recluse as his son. "Is it?" He teased lightly, offering her passage into his home. "I didn't notice." Mira slowly padded by him and kicked the snow from her boots before removing them. "Here." He offered gruffly, taking the tray from the unsteady woman's mittened fingers.

.

"Oof, thank you," she mewled clumsily.

.

"What brings you all the way out here tonight of all nights?" Laxus offered, leading them into the kitchen. "Don't you and the family normally have some big to-do over at your place?"

.

"Things have changed, Laxus," she mused softly. "Now that Elfman is married with three and Lisanna is on the way, they have their own plans."

.

Laxus gave an absent smile as he set the mugs on the kitchen table, watching the steam billow from their lids. "I guess that just leaves us then," he teased, setting himself down at the table to run his fingers through his hair. "The holiday shut-ins."

.

"That's alright," Mira chimed, setting her jacket on the chair back before joining him. "It gives me lots of time to bake." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a paper bag. "I wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but what's Christmas for if not taking chances?" She smiled and passed the bag to him and watched nervously as he took a look inside, his throat working with the sentiment. "I hope it doesn't cross a line…"

.

Laxus drew in a deep breath and slowly reached into the bag, pulling out one of the sugary offerings from inside. "She used to make these all the time around Christmas." He murmured weakly, accepting the coffee Mira set in front of him.

.

"She was the one who taught me how to make them…" Mira smiled sadly and laid her hands in her lap. "I remember how you and Alex used to fight over them. I thought maybe it might be nice to have them in the house again."

.

Laxus took a bite out of the cookie, even if it tasted just like the way his wife used to make them, he'd always claim that Neirah had made them better. "Nowadays we fight about everything, it seems," he informed her behind the crunching of the treat.

.

"Still a battle, huh?"

.

"Every day," he whispered sadly. "It doesn't matter what time of year."

.

"Wanna talk about it? Gajeel said he couldn't even pry you out of the guild tonight."

.

He knew Mira's heart was in the right place, but he didn't know if talking would help. But, as Christmas tended to encourage, he managed to summon up the courage he needed to try with the help of the holiday's warmth. "I miss her; every day, not just at Christmas." He looked around the kitchen solemnly. "Alex gets bad this time of year. He misses her too. I'm the last person he wants to see. I think he still blames me for what happened…"

.

"I'm sure he knows deep down that there was nothing either of you could do." Mira cooed softly, trying not to overstep the sensitivity of the topic. "Did he write Santa again this year?"

.

"Yea…" Laxus rumbled solemnly. "But it won't be long before he gives up on that too. All he ever asks for is to have his… his mom back… and Santa doesn't have that kind of power."

.

Mira reached over and laid her hand on his in silent condolence, knowing that the breakpoint was quickly approaching.

.

"I don't know what to do anymore," he admitted sadly. "When she was here, it didn't look so hard. Guild master, father, together we could make it through anything. I felt like taking on the world was just another day." He laid his head in his hands with a trembling sigh. "Now it's a struggle just to get the hell out of bed. It's not getting any easier…"

.

"I'd do anything to have her back…" He admitted swiftly, rolling out the emotional trauma that he tried to conceal on a daily basis. "If I could do it again, I probably would have walked away. Away from her smile, her eyes… I swear… it wasn't worth it. The pain… her life." He hated how pathetic he sounded, speaking in fragments with the well of sorrow in his tone. He ground his teeth and closed his eyes so he didn't have to see the tears staining the table beneath his agonised grimace. "I should have walked away…"

.

"Don't say that." Mira whimpered softly from the other side of the table, her own tears rolling over her cheeks to meet her faint, trembling smile. "If it weren't for Neirah, you wouldn't have Alex. I know you two fight a lot, but he loves his dad… and I know you love him too." She opened her eyes and kept her resolve from wavering despite her own sadness. "And if it weren't for the love you two shared, you wouldn't know what it was like to lose it. Your friends would do anything to see that kind of happiness in you again," she squeaked out sorrowfully. "But we can't bring her back…"

.

Laxus looked back at her, heartbroken. "I didn't mean to bring everyone else down with this weight."

.

"It's not your fault," Mira assured him tenderly. "To be honest, I think most of the guild members look up to you. You handle it so well when you're there. It's only a few of us that know any different. Everyone struggles with it differently, but even if you hide it, we can all sit down and remember what it was like after you two got married… and see that so much has changed."

.

"She was the light," he whispered hoarsely. "Without her, I feel like I don't know how to smile anymore."

.

* * *

.

Alex bowed his head and rested his brow against the staircase balusters, staring vacantly towards where his letter to Santa sat displayed on the mantle. They both felt guilty for the loss of Neirah's life, but the truth was, neither of them was to blame. He hated hearing his father upset, it was the only time he ever felt bad for giving him a hard time. His dad was supposed to be strong and able to take the weight of both of their pain on broad shoulders. Listening to Laxus' weakness, his father's weakness, it melted the ice developing around the young boy's heart.

.

He was quiet as he snuck back up the stairs into his room and closed the door behind him. "Dad misses you too," he whispered quietly. He slowly moved across his room towards the window and looked up at the stars in the clear night sky, folding his arms beneath his observance. "I asked him to bring you back this year again… I don't know if he's figured out a way or not," he admitted sadly. "I wish I could do it." His admittance was grim with defeat as he uttered it. "I hate seeing dad cry. He's supposed to be the strong one." He diverted his attention miserably. "It's my fault, isn't it…? That you're not here with us."

.

The tears fell harder as he shouldered the blame for himself. "Please come back, dad needs you!" Alex exhausted in raised fervour. "Everyone's so sad and it's all my fault. I hate it!" He lowered his voice to keep from drawing Laxus and Mira's attention from downstairs. "What was dad like before I was born?" He whimpered softly, trying to envision a happy man in place of the stony figure leading Fairy Tail's guild. "Did he ever smile?"

.

His heart sank when there came no response from the midnight sky. "I heard him talk about a light. Does he mean that candle he never lights in the bedroom anymore? Why doesn't he light it? Would he be mad if someone else did?" He stared back out his window through the large teardrops lingering on his eyelids. "I wish you'd talk back," he mewled helplessly. "I miss you so much. I'm sorry for everything. Please come back so that we can all smile again." He whispered weakly, staving off exhaustion to finish his conversation with the stars. "I want to see what dad would be like if he was happy…"

.

* * *

.

"Feel any better?" Mira crooned, slipping her boots back on her feet.

.

"Well, I don't feel any worse," Laxus reassured her warmly, offering her her coat. "It was kinda nice having some company. You're really living up to your name," he teased.

.

"Well now, I wouldn't go that far, I'm certainly not your mother."

.

"No, but the guild's lucky to have you," he ascertained kindly. "Especially Alex. If it weren't for you and Gajeel, that kid'd be lost for sure."

.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Mira concluded positively. "Alex has always been proud of his dad."

.

"Thank you," he managed softly, too tired to deny her sentiment. "I really do appreciate it."

.

Mira giggled with a sunny smile and folded her hands in her lap. "That's what Momma Fairy Tail's here for!"

.

"Merry Christmas, Mira."

.

"Merry Christmas, Master."

.

Laxus smiled sadly and quietly closed the door behind his unexpected guest. He wished he could believe her. He wanted to be his boy's super dad again, his best friend; but Alex wouldn't give an inch. The boy really was all the stubborn he'd ever been and just as passionate as his mother.

.

But his mother's passion was the last thing he wanted to think about as he climbed the stairs towards his empty bed. He'd give anything just to hold her against him, hear her whisper his name. He gave himself wistful chills just thinking about it but his heart couldn't take any more disappointment that evening so he kerbed his wandering fantasies before he'd even reached the top of the stairs.

.

He leant over towards his son's door and silently turned the knob to swing it open. He tipped his curious gaze to one side to see that Alex wasn't in bed. Alarm stung him for just a moment before he caught the sight of his shadowed silhouette beneath the light of the moon. "Alex…?" When there came no response, he approached the silent boy who was resting his tear-stained face in his arms against the windowsill. He sighed with a warm smile to notice his son had fallen asleep that way like he was waiting to catch an audience with Santa Clause. He leant down and gently took the boy up in his arms. "If you see him, tell him your old man wants the same thing," he assured the slumbering boy quietly. He stepped to the side of his bed and laid him on the mattress, pulling his comforter up over him solemnly. It had been a long time since he'd tucked him in and the nostalgia started to sting. The last time he had, his wife had been waiting for him on their bed in her favourite satin nighty, the violet one with the black lace trim. He still pulled it out sometimes in reminiscence.

.

Just before he parted, he leaned forwards and gently placed a kiss on his son's brow, his palm ruffling up the boy's mane. Nostalgia indeed. "Merry Christmas, Alex…"

.

He left the room with a smile on his face. It wouldn't get easier anytime soon, but he was willing to try; if just for his son. As much as it hurt, Mirajane was right. If it weren't for Neirah, he wouldn't have Alex. It was still hard, seeing her in everything the boy did, but he'd rather see her in his eyes than be without them entirely. He heaved a heavy sigh as he crossed the hall and pushed his bedroom door opened only to be met with the completely unexpected a second time that night. His heart broke in two as he whirled his bewildered expression to where the candle he kept in the window had been lit and burned to light the silent room. "Neirah…"

.

He didn't know what he expected when her name met his lips, but all he got when it did was silence. He moved to the window ledge and let the warmth of the tiny flame fill him. He didn't understand how the candle could have lit itself and his first thought was Mirajane, but she didn't leave his side during her entire visit. The supernatural crossed his mind for a moment and he flooded with hope. That was, however, until he learned the truth with the sight of a couple of charred match tips on the sill next to the candle. Neirah never used matches, just elegantly polished fingertips. It was in that moment when he envisioned little smoke marks on the tips of his slumbering son's fingers that he was filled with another kind of hope entirely. He realised then, that sometimes, the magic of Christmas didn't come from magic at all.

.

Alex may have stopped believing in Santa years before, but there was one man he refused to stop believing in. "Merry Christmas, dad…"


	17. When You're Gone

**When You're Gone**

.  
.

.

He didn't want to, but the silence had extended so long between them that he had to try and break it. Uncertainly, he rolled his peripherals to the side in cautious tread before turning his head to face his friend. Gajeel's breath caught in bewilderment when he turned to see sunlight illuminating a small smile on Laxus' features as he stared down at the stone placed to mark his late wife's grave.

.

"Y- yer smiling?" Gajeel stammered out awkwardly. 'Damn, the poor guy's finally lost it.'

.

"Remember what I told you about smiling for her?" Laxus rumbled softly. "She smiled through everything… that's all she ever wanted from me."

.

Gajeel sighed and dropped his gaze to where Laxus' had lingered for the better part of an hour. They'd go together every year to his little sister's grave on the anniversary of her death, but not once had he seen Laxus smile during their annual visit. "It's gettin' easier then? With you and Alex-"

.

"Not a chance…" Laxus interrupted somberly. "I miss her more every day…"

.

Gajeel peeked back at his comrade from beneath his furrowed brow before returning his weighted gaze back to his little sister's grave. "Yer tougher than me…" He admitted grimly. "I know it ain't what the kid wanted… but there's no way in hell I could smile through this."

.

Laxus closed his eyes, trying to deny the weight of his heavy heart to keep tears from spilling over in his tired gaze. "I thought that too, at first." He murmured quietly, acceptant of the soft song the birds sang to the late morning sun. "I had so many nightmares of her fallin'… over and over again." He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the white roses he'd laid upon her grave. "No matter how many times I saw it coming, I couldn't save her…"

.

"You do a pretty lousy job of cheerin' people up, y'know that right?" Gajeel grumbled bitterly, swiping at the tears rolling over his cheeks.

.

Laxus didn't deny the one tear that'd managed to slip over his face to meet his smile. "Yea…" He agreed sheepishly. "But I can still tell you every little detail about the way she lived…"

.

Gajeel's lower lip trembled as he turned to face the man, hoping that the comforting part was still to come.

.

"When she… got dressed… she always put her socks on first, her pants on last…" Laxus started quietly, soothed by the gentle rustle of spring blooms in the light breeze. "When she was thinkin' too hard… she'd always chew on her right index fingernail. When she had a bad day, she'd walk up behind me and prop her face against my back until I turned around and held her." He coughed with the well of emotion in his voice before rubbing at the tears starting to fall freely over his smiling face. "When she was mad, though, she wasn't so subtle."

.

Gajeel dragged his forearm over his face to dry it before revealing that he too was trying to keep from laughing. "I thought fer sure that she'd kill you before Alex was even born."

.

"I think a lot of people did." Laxus agreed, rolling his fingers back over his neck. "But she didn't…" He whispered hoarsely. "No matter how bad I screwed up, she'd always light a candle in the window at night and wait for me to come home." His tone grew strained with emotion. "She… she'd wait to eat… so that dinner didn't get cold by the time I got there… So that we could eat together and talk about how badly you idiots screwed up that day." His brow furrowed, his lips trembling as he concluded his sentiment. "She was… perfect."

.

Gajeel diverted his attention with similar straying thoughts reminding him of all the little things Neirah used to do as a child.

.

"The only way I'd even know she was upset was the way her eyes looked sad over her smile." Laxus expelled a shuttering sigh as he rubbed his thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose. "She smiled… but her eyes couldn't." He exhaled sharply and shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked back down upon her name in the cool reflective stone at his feet. "It got me every time…"

.

"That look just makes you wanna find the son of a bitch that hurt 'er and beat 'im senseless," Gajeel muttered solemnly, his gaze parallel to his friend's. "Then drag the snivelling loser to her feet and make him apologise… even if it's yerself…"

.

A small smile curled Laxus' lips with the thought. "Especially if it's you…"

.

"Y'know…" Gajeel started roughly. "When you talk about the kid like that… it's almost like she's still here." He smiled up at the sky as he watched fluffy clouds roll by to usher in spring. "Like any minute now she's gonna jump right out from behind that tree and mug ya for all yer pencils."

.

Laxus chuckled softly and dropped his gaze in opposition, his eyes falling shut to deny the sight of his shoes near the foot of her monument. "Or put you on your cocky ass for callin' her lightning little."

.

The two men smiled as they turned to face one another, turning in sync to exit the bright cemetery yard. At their backs, Lucky sat against a pile of elegant white roses waving in good fortune for the day.

.

Gajeel broke the silence, a hoarse catch in his voice. "Almost everything was little about the kid."

.

"Almost…" Laxus whispered in agreement.

.

"'Cept that heart of hers…"

.

"Yep…"

.

"It had to be pretty big to love a couple of goons like us, huh?"

.

Laxus snorted derivatively as Gajeel threw his arm up over his shoulder. "You mean a couple of babies who still cry their eyes out when they think of her."

.

"It's not our fault she broke us."

.

Laxus met Gajeel's enthusiastic smile warmly. "I think… she might've fixed us…"


	18. The Day Time Split Worlds

_**The Day Time Split Worlds**_

* * *

.

.

She blinked.

.

She… and again.

.

Her lips parted breathlessly as she felt her lungs fill with sweet spring air, her chest aching as if the weight of the gesture was monumental. She could feel the warmth of the day on her skin by the glistening rays of sunshine flowing into her home. The morning was just as peaceful as when she had left it, and she was just as bluntly interrupted by a speeding child, skidding across the floor in his sock feet. "Hold on there, Prince." Her coo was gentle as she snagged the blue-eyed boy by his hood. She didn't give into his struggling as she held him to her breast, her embrace on him stronger than ever before. "And just where are you off to in such a rush this morning?"

.

"Ack! Mom! I'm in a hurry!" Alex whined, flailing in her embrace until he could squirm free.

.

"I can see that," she purred.

.

"I'm going out with Romeo on a real guild re-"

.

"Alex..." She interrupted him sternly, but her tone remained maternal as she reached out to take his hands in hers. She knelt down with him and looked deeply into the youth's eyes. "Did you ask your father if that was alright?"

.

The youth groaned as he struggled to put his shoes on, fighting the lack of give in the tongue due to the Velcro he failed to undo when last he removed them. "Awe, come on, Mom!" He defended his goals anxiously, diverting his attention with a sheepish flush in his cheeks. He groaned his uncertainty, wondering how much he could say without getting into trouble from his mother or, more importantly, his father. "We're Fairy Tail wizards." The boy announced it like just that stated fact was defence enough.

.

"Not yet you aren't." Refuted.

.

"But I will be! I- agh, it's hard to explain." The boy dropped to his rump on the floor and ruffled his own hair beneath tense fingertips before sighing defeat. "But I guess it's ok if you don't get wizard stuff like me and Dad."

.

"Is that so?" Neirah's heart swelled with pride as she sat on the floor across from him and pulled her hair back, tugging on the collar of her sundress just a little bit to reveal the golden wings of their crest on her chest.

.

Alex's breath caught as he cut his gaze immediately back to hers. "Wha?! But I didn't think that non-wizards could join guilds?!" He flopped onto all fours and crawled closer to his mother, trying to glimpse more of what he knew was their guild's official emblem. There it was, bright and gold on her tanned flesh and always concealed under the conservative fabric of her clothes.

.

She smiled blissfully and grabbed his shoulders, tugging him close enough to her that she could butt her forehead against his. "Well here's a little secret for you, Prince," she whispered gently. "There's a reason that your aunt and uncle still call your mother the Shadow." Alex's eyes widened as he looked back at her with shimmering blue irises. "Go to your father." She encouraged him softly, leaning down to fix his shoes for him.

.

"But Mom!" He whined, leaning on her shoulders in demand. "Are you really a wizard like Dad?! Why didn't you tell me?! What kind of magic do you use!? Is it the good magic like you wanted!? Did you just learn it?! Did Dad teach you and not _ME_?!"

.

She slowly stood, stifling her giggle as she shooed him out the door. "We'll talk when your father gets home."

.

"But-!"

.

"No 'but's," she crooned through her heartwarming smile. "Patience, my prince… I have lots of stories to tell you but not until your father gets home. As soon as you get back, I'll answer all twenty of your questions."

.

"Twenty?"

.

Neirah tipped her head to one side with a wry smile. "Or more."

.

"More?!"

.

In the next moment, Alex remembered his intentions and that Romeo was waiting for him. "Oh no! I'm going to be late for my first job!" He exclaimed in panic. Neirah watched him kick up dust as he ran with all he could down Magnolia's streets, the utmost confidence in her son.

.

"Alex!" She called out after him, delighted tears welling in her eyes. The youth skidded to a stop and turned to face his mother as she stood in the doorway of their home. She would never forget the look in his eyes as she threw her arm up into the air, the back of her hand displaying her extended thumb and forefinger to the beaming sunlight above them.

.

After a long moment of processing, he returned her gesture with a delighted laugh. "See you soon, Mom!"

.

She withdrew her arm and threw it against her chest, her sombre little smile meeting the tears rolling over her cheeks. "I love you, Alex." She whispered softly to the fresh breeze carrying the long pieces of her hair that were free of her thick French braid. She tucked them back behind her ear and turned her gaze skyward. She closed her eyes and took a moment to appreciate the subtlest scents and sounds. "Thank you, Father…"

.

* * *

.

Alex sprinted quickly towards the East Forest in hopes of meeting up with Romeo to tag along on the job request that the fire wizard had taken. All of a sudden, his feet stopped moving, his stare widening vacantly with the power of images flashing behind his eyes.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Mom… was a wizard…?"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _Smile… for our… son…"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _She's gone." Laxus choked out his words from behind ground teeth, his voice cracked with anguish. Gajeel started to tremble as he shifted his gaze over Neirah's broken figure, her blood-streaked hair clutched tightly in her husband's grasp._

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _I'm fine… really," Laxus assured him curtly with an exasperated huff of defiance. "I don't expect it to get easier… I'll just get a little stronger every year."_

 _._

 _"_ _You know what I'm gonna say about that…" Gajeel warned. "Laxus, it's one thing to shut the rest of us out but you got a kid to worry about. He's not gonna understand why his dad's turnin' a cold shoulder."_

 _._

 _"_ _Do you blame me?" Laxus started darkly. He tipped his chin in suggestion towards the window to where Alex and Lilian were playing in the yard. "You look at that kid and tell me that he's not his mother's son."_

 _._

* * *

.

 _"_ _You were there too, Dad! She died in YOUR arms! Why couldn't you save her?! If you're so great and powerful, then WHY DID YOU LET MOM DIE!?"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _There is a way to bring her back," Jose crooned with a twisted grin on his thin lips. "And Marionette is the only one."_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _I'm going to do everything that they couldn't," Alex growled through clenched teeth._

 _._

 _Lilian raised her hand to her chest, pressing her trembling forearm against her full breasts. "Alex… what's happening to you…?"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _Lily!"_

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _Welcome to infinity," the beast rumbled regally._

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _"_ _It's alright…" Lilian offered gently. "I understand." She laid her dainty palm against Alex's cheek and smiled up at him sadly through her tears. "I don't mind if he isn't able to preserve our memories."_

 _._

 _Alex's brow furrowed in vexation. They had come so far together, fallen in love, even. "Lily… but wh-"_

 _._

 _"_ _Because I don't mind falling in love with you all over again…"_

 _._

* * *

.

The anxious four-year-old shook his head violently with a fierce blink, wrinkling his flushed features as he watched, what he perceived as, his adult self joining in an intimate kiss with what he _believed_ was his adult cousin. His face couldn't get any redder as he swatted at his bangs fiercely. "Ew! Gross!" He exclaimed defiantly. He shook his head some more to attempt banishing the thought, his gaze scouring the quiet edge of town. He moved to step forward, but he couldn't bring himself to lay his sneaker on the pave stone ahead of him.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _Well here's a little secret for you, Prince," she whispered gently. "There's a reason that your aunt and uncle still call your mother the Shadow."_

 _._

* * *

.

"Mom's… a wizard?" He turned his gaze sharply to face where he knew the guild hall stood not far away, and as if by divine guidance, he took off as fast as his feet could carry him towards it.

.

* * *

.

In one minute, he was standing before the infinite dragon Ryverika, his young wife and adult son by his side. But then, in the time it took him to blink he was back in the Fairy Tail guild hall, the rowdy crowd rocking the walls as energetically as they ever had. He raised his gaze from his flexing fingers to where he swept it across the guild to see Mirajane waiting on customers, Macao and Wakaba in perverted conversation at the table in front of him.

.

Laxus turned away, his heart racing in his chest. 'No way…' His thoughts were fretful as he scoured the hall for Romeo or Alex. 'That dusty old lizard really pulled it off.' He caught his breath and abruptly dismissed himself from the company he was keeping in order to seek out his son. 'This is it… This is the day-'

.

"Dad!" Laxus turned to see Alex storming through the guild hall, attracting everyone's attention with his fervour. Nothing could have felt better than the weight of the enthusiastic youth crashing into his lap, except maybe the beaming expression he immediately tipped towards his hero. "Dad, you're never gonna believe this!"

.

Laxus' world started to spin, his strained body aching with anxiety. "I… don't know… Champ. I've seen a heck of a lot in my day," he assured the boy uncertainly. He could barely contain the swell of relief in his chest as he took Alex up in his arms at the boy's suggestion, settling him against his chest as the boy threw his arms around his neck. Laxus' gaze faltered, his grip on his boy tighter than ever. It had been over a decade since Alex had let his father hold him.

.

"Mom's a wizard, isn't she?!" Alex's hurried exclamation caused his father to flinch. That wasn't how he remembered their morning going.

.

"I… what would make you… say that?" Laxus started uncertainly. He was starting to doubt that the children's memories hadn't been preserved when they were sent back.

.

"She showed me! She's a Fairy Tail wizard just like you!"

.

"Yo."

.

Laxus flinched as Gajeel entered the guild with Lilian in his arms, approaching where Laxus and Alex were lingering. Gajeel had an uncharacteristically humble expression on his face as his gaze met his guild master's to share a quiet understanding.

.

"Lily! Lily guess what!" With all Alex's scrambling, Laxus was forced to set him down and let him charge to where Lilian had been set on her own two feet. "Lily! My mom's a wizard too!"

.

Lilian gasped. "Really?! What kind of magic does she use?!"

.

"I don't know yet! Dad and I are gonna go home and find out right now!" Alex turned his delighted beam towards their hesitant fathers. "Right Dad?!"

.

Laxus' expression started to tremble and falter with emotion. He was having a hard time absorbing the affection his son had once denied. To Alex, it was just another day that he was following in his hero's footsteps, but to Laxus, time had split worlds and merged them back together moments before tragedy had stricken.

.

Laxus flinched when Gajeel braced his palm on the man's shoulder. "You gonna be ok?"

.

Laxus cleared his throat awkwardly, narrowly managing to tear his expression away from the glistening love in his son's. "Yea," he admitted in a hoarse whisper. "I… need you to babysit." Laxus laid his palm on the top of Alex's head despite the boy's whimpers of defiance. There was a catch in his voice as he continued. "Just… for a bit…"

.

"No way! I'm not a baby," Alex demanded eccentrically. "Take me with you!"

.

"Simmer down there, Kiddo," Gajeel started in encouragement. He dropped his arm around the boy and reined him in. "You can chill with your uncle Gajeel while yer old man takes care of 'guild stuff'."

.

"But-" He was infamous for his questioning of absolutely every decision made for him, but his father only needed to give him one look to silence him submissively. "Ok… But then we gotta go home real quick! Mom's gonna tell us about her magic!"

.

A warm smile found his father's lips as he patted his son on the head. "Believe me; nothing would make me happier…"

.

Well, he certainly didn't think anything could make him happier.

.

* * *

.

His steps were heavy as he made his way through town towards home, and he didn't understand why because every part of him ached to run there as fast as he could. Fourteen years, three months and nine days had led them to the midst of the mighty infinite dragon, his father-in-law. Thanks to Alex, Neirah had been given the breath of life, and thanks to Ryverika, their family was given a second chance.

.

He wanted to run, but he was tethered by uncertainty. So many lost smiles and tears. He had matured, changed. He felt empty even with the knowledge that somewhere in his hometown, his wife was alive and well. He didn't know what to say to her first, or whether he should just hold her. Because his memories were preserved, he didn't know how to act like nothing had happened.

.

"You're looking pretty lonely there, Prince."

.

He didn't think he'd survive the length of the moment that it took his next breath to escape him with the sound of her voice ushering angels from the heavens. He didn't think it had ever sounded so sweet, had ever brought him more peace.

.

She stood in the quiet sunlit street, her pure sundress skirt ruffling in the fresh morning breeze; no tears, no blood. "I'm sorry, I promised you I wouldn't leave you again, didn't I?" He could hear the guilt in her voice, her shame for being the cause of his suffering. It sickened him.

.

He couldn't stop the tears from forming in the corners of his eyes, his trembling fists tight at his sides as he turned to look over his shoulder. "What the hell are you apologising f-"

.

Tears rained starlight down around her face and the phenomena caught in the sunny breeze to float through the air like time stood still for them that bright spring morning. Her tight-lipped smile was as broad as she could make it, her eyes smiling as dark lashes met in ebony sunsets against her face. "You have to admit… that was pretty useful," she whispered delicately to the wind.

.

* * *

.

 _"_ _It's the infinite dragon secret art of seduction," she teased playfully._

 _._

 _"_ _Does this dragon of yours actually have any useful attacks?"_

 _._

* * *

.

"Neirah…" He forced his half-drowned words from his throat weakly, his next blink freeing the tears that carried the weight of over a decade void of her presence. His expression grew vacant as she slowly slipped her hand up, folding all her fingers down save two.

.

"Ready for round two, Sparky?" She breathed out affectionately.

.

His heart stopped, or at least he'd become numb to the pain of it rattling against the walls of his chest as it raced with attempts of escape.

.

Round two…

.

* * *

.

 _He delighted in her enchanted laughter as his gentle purr against her neck roused a skittish squirm from the rest of her body. "Fine, I admit it. I'm jealous," he crooned. He backed away from her to take her loving expression in his hand as he looked down at her tenderly, rolling his fingertips anxiously over her flushed cheeks. "I want one too."_

 _._

 _"_ _Laxus… are you seriously asking me for a-" She didn't have a chance to finish her sentiment before his lips had covered hers and dismissed the continuation of her sentence._

 _._

 _"_ _Yes," he hissed out curtly the moment she was free of his tender kiss. He smiled sincerely before shifting his weight over her body until he could nuzzle her nighty back in an effort to expose her lean tummy to his lips. "I'm askin' you to make me a little girl."_

 _._

 _Neirah's brow knotted as she smiled down at him, taking his head in her hands to redirect his attention her way. "You're some brave, Sparky," she mewled affectionately. Her sleepy smile glowed with contented bliss as she gently combed her fingers through his hair. "That or mighty stupid."_

 _._

 _His face lit up enthusiastically with her encouragement as he leant forward and rested his chin against her chest. "Maybe I'm a bit of both…" His assurance was gentle as he rolled his thumb over her exposed hip. "But it'll be hard to be lonely with a bunch of statically charged ruggrats runnin' around."_

 _._

 _She laughed out loud at the thought despite her heart noticeably warming with her devotion to her husband's wishes. "Mn, I knew those carpets were going to be a problem," she teased. She let her palm linger at his nape, her anxious fingertips massaging his roots. Her smile faded humbly as she expelled an exasperated sigh. "If that's what my king desires, maybe we can give it a try."_

 _._

 _Laxus took her hand in his and tipped her folded fingers to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on the diamonds of her wedding band. "And what of his queen?" He rumbled playfully. "And her… desires."_

 _._

 _"_ _I want whatever has the power to put a smile on your face."_

 _._

 _"_ _Well, it looks like we're flyin' in infinite loops again," he mused before sliding her fingers back behind his neck._

 _._

 _"_ _There's no place I'd rather be," she swooned. She drew him against her with the encouragement of her hand's placement. "And what if fate is cruel?" She mewled softly, closing her eyes as he tipped his forehead to hers. "What if Alex ends up with a little brother instead?"_

 _._

 _"_ _Would you let me try again…?" He inquired impishly._

 _._

 _"_ _If the 'trying' is what you enjoy-"_

 _._

 _"_ _No," he interrupted swiftly. "I want it… I want a little girl."_

 _._

 _Neirah moaned softly and shimmied up against him. "You have a little girl beneath you," she teased._

 _._

 _"_ _You know what I mean," he rumbled playfully while stroking her hair back out of her face. "Neirah, this is the only thing I'm any good at…"_

 _._

 _"_ _Mm, making babies?" She narrowly stifled her taunting chuckle as he gave her a look warning challenge if she carried on. She rolled her fingertips around his ear and pulled him into a gentle kiss. "And to think, you were so nervous before Alex was born."_

 _._

 _"_ _I like… being a dad," he admitted warily. "I like the way it feels…"_

 _._

 _Neirah moaned, letting her thighs twist and writhe against his sides. "And I'm rather fond of you as a husband." She pulled him down on the bed alongside her. "The things you treasure; you're a good man," she assured him kindly. Her fingertips quietly swept over his bare chest until they could trace the lines of the scar stretching into his right pectoral._

 _._

 _"_ _I didn't feel that way until you came along. And then Alex..."_

 _._

 _Neirah smiled blissfully. "He's so proud of his father."_

 _._

 _"_ _I know," he added excitedly. "Call me selfish, but it's the best damn thing in the world. Lookin' down and seeing your boy at your feet, wanting to be just like his old man… There's nothing better than that."_

 _._

 _"_ _Except playing house with a daughter?" Neirah sat up and rested her forearm against his chest, her fingers curling in lazy circles over his skin._

 _._

 _"_ _Well,_ _ **you**_ _don't play house with me," he teased wickedly._

 _._

 _"_ _Laxus, that's because I_ _ **live**_ _house with you," she chided. She watched his gentle amusement soften his appearance for a moment as life and thought flickered in his fond expression. "I bet there wasn't a soul in Fairy Tail's history that would have predicted this kind of behaviour from you."_

 _._

 _"_ _Tsk, and you think I did?" He slid his fingers through her hair, his thoughts consumed with the comfort of her presence. "You and Alex are the best damn thing to ever happen to me."_

 _._

 _Neirah's eyes glossed, the power of her devotion making her heart race. "Oh, Laxus…" Her whisper was hoarse with emotion as she leant down to place a deep and caring kiss on his breathlessly parted lips. She was reluctant to slip away from him, but she was still baffled by the notion that he was so keen to give life to a daughter. "You really want another?"_

 _._

 _"_ _Mn, right now I want you." He massaged her scalp as he anxiously awaited the indulgence of the affections they'd been postponing. "Alex is asleep, it's early, work was hell." He raised against her to place gentle kisses on her neck. "And Daddy really wants a baby girl to call Princess." Neirah whined and wrapped her arms around his waist, tracing the strong lines of his back with soft caresses. "So…" He spoke with restless encouragement. "What do you say we light a couple candles, lock the bedroom door, and give Daddy what he wants."_

 _._

 _Neirah writhed against his lips as they teased ticklish nerve endings in her neck. "A baby?"_

 _._

 _Laxus groaned softly and lifted her up into his lap. "Right now, he just wants to lay Mommy down and kiss every inch of her body."_

 _._

 _Neirah gently traced his lips with her finger, colour flushing the swell of her cheeks as they rose with her eager smile. "She would like that," she whispered heavily. Her weighted gaze lustfully scanned her quarry, her smile too broad to conceal. "Very much…"_

 _._

 _"_ _You're so good to me," he rumbled affectionately. He was delighted just to hold her close after a long day._

 _._

 _"_ _Well someone has to be with how hard you are on yourself," she cooed tenderly while holding his face in her hands. "Perform well tonight and we can talk about that little girl more tomorrow night while I'm a little less hot for you."_

 _._

 _Laxus smiled his sedation. "Damn, I love you," he whispered gently. "So much..."_

 _._

 _Neirah drew in a deep breath, her wandering gaze finally returning to his with a small grin. "Prove it."_

.

* * *

.

Levy sighed delightedly as she joined her husband, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

.

'Thanks to Ryverika, she made it to see me that day and we cried like fools until Gajeel stopped by. He wasn't much better; jumping around and telling his little sister not to scare him like that again, you know, as if she had a choice. But when Shadow delivered us the news she had set out to the day that Alex had defied his father, let's just say we didn't hear much out of Gajeel afterwards!'

.

Levy laughed as she recalled fanning her unconscious iron dragon as he hit the floor, simultaneously encouraging Neirah to stop by the guild to see their master. Gajeel obviously still hadn't recovered from the shell shock that came with the news of the Dreyar's expecting baby number two.

.

'Four of us remembered everything... but that didn't seem to make it any more believable when she finally met the love of her life in the empty street...' Levy turned and watched out the open guild hall doors as the encounter slowed time around them, and she couldn't imagine a more perfect moment.

.

'It looks like we're going to have a busy summer,' she thought with the gentle laugh she had contained to herself. 'I hope we make it...' She turned her gentle smile to Gajeel as she slipped her fingers between his beneath the table. '... but something tells me we'll be ok...'

.

Levy watched Alex and Lily laughing innocently together on the bench next to Gajeel when his expression faltered in a way that she hadn't seen since Neirah and Laxus were wed. She laughed as he snorted impatiently and lifted Alex by his hood, setting the child on the other side of him to distance the boy from his daughter as the four sat together at a table in the bustling guild hall. Levy laughed blissfully at the thought of knowing that if it was going to happen, there wasn't a damn thing that she or Lily's over-protective daddy could do about it. She didn't mind the thought of their children falling in love, not after she saw the lengths Alex had gone through just to see his father smile again.

.

Catching her attention, she turned her whimsical smile out to the street where Laxus lifted his wife into the air, their tears more like diamonds than rain on their ever-grateful expressions. 'Yea... we'll be just fine...'

.

"Who says fairy tales don't have happy endings?" She sighed her breathless whisper, laying her head on Gajeel's marked shoulder to support her tender swoon.

.

"Don't be dumb." She quickly turned her confused expression to where Gajeel smiled smugly down at her. "Yer sayin' that like somethin's endin'."

.

Her baffled expression softened with the appearance of her smile as she leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on his studded chin. "Hmhm, you're right," She purred tenderly.


	19. Faded

_**Faded**_

* * *

.

.

The first thing that came to mind as she sat in the quiet room and watched him undress was water droplets. Side by side, they were two glistening trails moving in the same direction on the same window pane towards the same sill ending, but they were no closer to combining as they slipped. In her heart, she prayed that the influence of the soaking pane would connect them, encourage their trails to sync once more so that they could walk the same path together. Fate, maybe they were governed by it.

.

Maybe it _was_ cruel.

.

But there they were, a few feet away from each other's bodies and worlds apart. It wasn't what she had expected. She had learned more about the intricacies that were her husband over her past week of rebirth simply because all she could do was watch him from a distance as he shut her out. All she wanted to do as she watched him peel his shirt off his back was latch onto his heat and absorb it for just a quiet while. It seemed like a lifetime ago since the last time they'd just lingered close.

.

She bowed her head with a meagre grin and tucked a piece of her dishevelled braid back behind her ear as she returned her attention to the box she was filling. Laxus had always hated the Japanese good fortune cat that sat on her dresser. She didn't know where her obsession for them stemmed, but she'd fought to preserve it after their marriage. And after almost a decade and a half without her in his life, he had never moved it. It had stayed, despite his ridicule, right where she had left it.

.

Her smile started to fade as she watched the shadows of the box claim the porcelain maneki neko doll. Everything still felt unusually surreal. Simply clasping the smooth fragile, surface made her want to burst into tears. She could feel the claw of their escape choking her dry swallows as she tried to force stability through her heartache. To her, she simply skipped backwards in time the duration of an afternoon. With one heartfelt sentiment between she and her son, she had saved herself from a bleak future.

.

She slowly returned her glassy gaze to where her husband sat on the edge of their bed, a tension in his back and shoulders that she hadn't seen in years as he quietly ruffled the roots of the hair on his nape. To him though, he had fourteen years of lonely nights captured in his memories; one for every day it took their son to move closer towards the impossible.

.

Alex had gained a fondness for his mother that neither of his parents could have expected once the truth was revealed, and the freedom that came with that lifted weight should have eased from his weary body. But it hadn't. Ever since her father had seen their time restored the long years prior to her death, Laxus still couldn't look her in the eye, still couldn't hold her close to him. She watched him fade a little farther into indecision each day and she worried that soon, she would lose him forever.

.

Neirah bowed her head and nibbled on her quivering lower lip as she dug through the box in front of her. She tugged on the synthetic auburn waves of a doll at the bottom, bringing her own plush mirrored image to the surface. She took it between both of her trembling hands and gave it a wiggle. "Laxus," she breathed docilely. "Look, it's the doll of me that you just _found_ laying on the street after a job in Matza Valley. You know, the one that you only picked up to use to rile my brother?"

.

Laxus didn't roll his gaze over his shoulder to face her as he spoke. He simply stared forwards lifelessly into the golden flicker of the burning candle on their windowsill. "I didn't find it on the ground," he rumbled in low admittance. Neirah flinched. She had meant to stir some defensive banter between them, but he had less than no interest. "Part of the payment for the job, the old woman was a dollmaker. She asked me if I would like to take a one-of-a-kind item back with me when I left." He closed his eyes and dropped his hand from his neck. "I carried shots of you from Sorcerer around with me everywhere I went, and when she asked me, I told her I wanted one of you."

.

Neirah had known that he had never found the doll on the ground, it was in far too pristine a condition, but she never once thought that its truthful origin story was so hopelessly tender. She'd wanted to stir up some frisky banter between them to help lift his spirits, but her plan had monumentally backfired.

.

"Smell it," he humbly encouraged. "Even if it's been in a box all these years, it should still smell the same."

.

She wrinkled her nose, and if he would have looked at her, she wouldn't have done it. But reluctantly, she raised the stuffed creation to her face. Tears started to bubble in her wide, achy stare as she inhaled the faint, but recognizable, scent of sakura. She slowly lowered the doll back into the mess of posters and pin-ups of her they also stored when he moved into her mother's house with her. With a delicately concealed sniff of emotion, she slowly closed up the box to keep the items from damaging beneath the slow roll of her tears. "Why… didn't you tell me…?"

.

Laxus shrugged indifferently as he lingered a lifetime away from her words. "I guess it just never came up…"

.

After setting her folded box on the floor beside her side of the bed, Neirah knelt on the mattress and fanned dark lashes over her flighty gaze to help dry the rise of tears in her deep, azure gaze. "Well, there," she announced in a trembling tone. "Now you don't have to worry about that silly cat watching you sleep with those dark, soulless eyes."

.

The only reason his deep swallow let his throat bob so conspicuously was probably that she still couldn't see the way his emptiness choked him. "It's fine," he murmured bleakly.

.

He probably should have given her touch even the slightest of reactions, warmth, surprise, appreciation, desperation. Instead, he stared blankly forwards, his vacant gaze lingering on the comprehension of the sensation. He could feel the weight of her lean fingers resting on his shoulder from behind him.

.

After so long without, he could finally feel it again.

.

"Laxus, please… just look at me…"

.

He could hear it crackling in her voice, the pain, her suffering. Guilt washed over him and flushed him with remorse to realise that he was the cause of her discomfort. Even though such an awareness broke his heart, he still couldn't offer her much more than the small tip of his chin to one side, his downcast gaze studying the finely pressed sheets of their bed rather than the youthful lines of her face. He felt the weight of her fingers against his chin and he pinched his eyes tight, reeling in memories of the day she'd died in his arms. Life fading from the once brilliant flicker of her lively eyes, cold hands trembling in his as her own blood rolled from elegant fingers, the sight of her disappearing forever beneath the earth.

.

Before she could ask him to open his eyes, he had turned away entirely, freeing himself from her grasp with a trembling expel of breath. "I can't…" He heard his articulation break her heart as her breathing started to shudder with remorse. "Neirah, I'm sorry I-"

.

"It's been a week," she whispered vaguely. "A week since we rewrote our futures. You've barely spoken to me since Ryverika brought us back here, you won't look me in the eye… I feel like sleeping next to you in our bed is tormenting you. You lie on the edge and when I shift closer to you, you move further still." She gently wiggled her head from side to side and whimpered her helpless conclusion. "You're breaking my heart…"

.

He sealed his eyes tighter still and bared his teeth to bear his anguish. "I'm sorry," he repeated grimly. "But you don't understand…" He slowly opened tired eyes and stared down at his trembling hands. "All those nights, clinging to a prayer in an empty bed. The things… the things I've seen… I've seen it over and over again… for fourteen years. Even now, I don't know if you're really here or if I've finally lost it…my mind. It's so hard to figure out what's real anymore. You, me?"

.

Neirah desperately reached for his fidgeting hands. "Then look at me, Laxus, hold me. I'm real. I'm right here if you'd just take the time to notice." She whined and slammed her forehead into his shoulder as she reached for his hand only to have him jerk it away. "Please. Is this really how we're going to waste our second chance? I don't know how to help you. Please talk to me…"

.

The room went gravely silent for a long moment as they lingered in the heart-wrenching moment. She could feel his heart racing beneath her brow, the tense muscle quivering with the withholding of his agony. She slowly withdrew her empty hand, her face flushed with humiliated fever. To her, they were a week out of the passionate love games that had left the baby she currently carried in a belly just about to start growing. She placed her clammy palm against her tummy beneath her modest nightdress. It wasn't how she had wanted to bring their next child into the world, into a home broken by grief.

.

"I don't understand," she mewled sorrowfully. "I thought… you would be happy…"

.

"What do you want me to say?" He still didn't turn and look at her as he spoke his lifeless return. "I don't know what you expected, I don't even know what I expected. I wish the old lizard had of reset me too when we came back, so I couldn't remember all the bullshit that happened while you were gone. How much it hurt, how much our son hated me. He hated me, Neirah, more than anything."

.

"That's not true," she denied desperately. "I was there. He did it for you! He hated watching you suffer because of his innocent mistake!"

.

Laxus tightened impossibly further and caught his breath behind the snap in his teeth. "It doesn't matter how bad I want to cut out the bad stuff, I can't. How badly I want to go back the way things were… I…"

.

Neirah flinched and sat back on the bed as his fiercely tight fist cracked with the need to strike something.

.

"I've had a migraine for days just trying to sort out who the fuck I am. Those fourteen years, the guy I was wasn't the same one you left behind a week ago. Now, I have thoughts, urges that are comin' back to me from the past well I'm still tryin' to shake the future. It's ripping me in a hundred different directions all at once and I don't know which way to go."

.

Starting to relax, he slowly braced his elbows on his thighs, lowering his head into his aching palms. "Every time I look at you, I see you the day you died. Every time I touch you, I feel it happen all over again. I… it's like something backfired when the old lizard sent us back. Something in me broke that I don't know if I can fix. It's tearing me apart and I just… I don't know which way is up anymore. I'm starting to believe more and more that… that you're not really here… That… that I'm gonna wake up any minute to the same empty bed. Cold… Existing solely for the one person that wished I had taken his mother's place."

.

"I'm so sick of being cold," he whispered hoarsely. "I'm so sick… of the pain, of feeling empty, of watching my world end every single night. I put… I put the woman I love in the ground. I hear her voice behind me but I'm afraid… I'm afraid if I look at her… If I… I'm so afraid that last ray of hope's gonna die out on me… and I'm afraid of what's going happen when it does…" He closed his eyes and bared his teeth, his grip on his head tightening. "I just don't know what I'm fightin' anymore or if it's worth fightin' for…"  
.

"It sounds like you have demons to fight…"

.

Laxus' throat worked dryly as he quietly raised his gaze and returned it to the flickering of the candle in their window. "You could say that," he rumbled bleakly.

.

Neirah's voice was suspiciously calm as her weight shifted from the bed behind him. "I wish you had of said something sooner," she whispered quietly. "Because it seems to me… that the answer is really… quite simple."

.

To her bold, although tremoring suggestion, he couldn't help but turn to face where her back retreated. Soft, mesmeric curves started to seduce his thoughts. _She's still here. Maybe it is real… Maybe she's real._

 _._

 _Make us real._

 _._

He immediately lowered his gaze, stifling his bitter curse as he pressed his palm sternly against his throbbing temple. He'd be the first to admit that he was a mess, barely holding himself together. He'd never been more consumed by fear.

.

His alert senses perked to her weight rejoining him on the bed and before he could think his actions over, his gaze was darting towards her solemn expression. Luckily, she had expected him to do something similar to the soft clatter of steel rings jingling and she had already courteously diverted her own gaze. He stared his utter bemusement through wide and wild eyes as she laid herself on his shoulder and slowly latched the catch of his worn leather collar to his throat.

.

He didn't take his gaze off of her as she slowly backed away from him, leaving callous fingertips to reach toward his own pulse and touch the reality that she'd settled around his neck. He felt the subtle pressure of her temple pressed against his, their faces side by side as she cautiously avoided meeting their gazes until she was sure he was comfortable with it. "You do remember what this means, right?" He chilled to the fragile tone of her voice, assuring him that she was not going to play the whip-wielding dominatrix with him that night. "When you wear this, you're no longer in control," she assured him tenderly. "Your thoughts and actions belong to me, right?"

.

His voice was broken as his husky rumble spoke close to her ear in hesitant caution. "Neirah…"

.

"The dog has to trust that his master knows what he needs, right?"

.

Laxus lowered his jaw, his gaze softening with hope and sentiment before he closed his eyes and just listened to his heart race in his ears against the feeling of her head pressed against his. "Yes ma'am," he whispered appreciatively.

.

Neirah's trembling lips forced the faintest of smiles over his shoulder as she took a deep breath and prepared her voice for command. "Take the ribbon out of my hair," she softly encouraged.

.

He was hesitant at first, but after assuring she wasn't going to rush him, he slowly wrapped his arms around her and took the end of her braid between his hands. He did as she commanded and unbound the end, retracting his grip with the cashmere bind in his grasp.

.

Neirah pulled away from him enough that she could look down into his obedient, albeit tremoring fingers. Without raising her gaze, she slowly reached out and took the end of her ribbon, careful to keep her connection with his skin to a minimum.

.

Laxus' brow knotted as he lowered his gaze to her work, her head still braced against his to keep his airy thoughts grounded as he experienced tender sensations he'd thought he'd lost forever. With the utmost care, she had gently looped the fair material around his wrist and bound it in a delicate bow.

.

"You never could wear a watch or bracelets," she breathed certainly. "Not unless I put them on for you. You could never manage the intricate clasps on your own."

.

Laxus raised his wrist and felt the soft loops between his thumb and forefinger on the opposing hand. Soon, he was shifting his weighted gaze to where her fingers started to work the kinks out of her braid.

.

"The only way a very real article of clothing could end up tied to your wrist is if someone put it there," she smiled sadly as she raked her fingers back over her roots and gave them an invigorating stir to volumize them. "And, so far as I know, I'm the only one who knows you weren't capable so there would be… no inspiration for anyone else to tie a ribbon around your wrist."

.

He slowly watched her climb to her feet and stand a few feet from the side of the bed. His heart was aching in his chest, the pain of its race crippling his reaction to her presence.

.

"I don't mind convincing you that I'm really here," she whispered tenderly. She raised her fingers to her ears and quietly removed the golden studs to set on the dresser. "Maybe it won't be easy," she whispered weakly. "Maybe I won't be able to stop the nightmares." She closed her eyes and raised her hands either strap of her nightgown. With a trembling sigh, she knocked the straps free and released the material. It fell swiftly around her breasts but slowed as it slipped over the heavy caramel mounds. Soon, her skin had released the hold on the material and it swept past her knees to the floor.

.

Her thick dark lashes fluttered over her wavering gaze to allow it to stare into the ripples of satiny material at her toes. "But I can try," she whispered bashfully. "Because you didn't just lose me those fourteen long years…" She closed her eyes and covered her naked body shyly. "I lost you too."

.

Laxus couldn't help but itch to ease her discomfort. His fingers twitched at his side with the need to lower her arms, beg her not to act so self-conscious in his presence. Another part of him, though, realised that he was the one making her feel that way. He watched her move her hands to her belly, stroking the lax swells of skin around the growth of their baby.

.

His entire world shook as his fixated gaze was interrupted by the sight of her tear reaching the smooth skin at her navel. She fidgeted a bit to hide the droplet before removing the charm from where it pierced the knotting cavern. She added the stud to the pile of the rest of her jewellery before returning her hands to her hips.

.

She paused a moment when her thumb met the waistband of her sheer lace panties like she was contemplating whether or not to remove them. After a tentative moment, she did. She timidly straightened immediately afterwards, as naked as she could be in front of him. The only thing that she wouldn't remove, was her wedding band; not after she'd finally gotten it back. "You're not the only one who's afraid," she whispered airily. "I'm afraid that the man I love might never hold me again, might never love me like he used to. I'm afraid of our next child's fate and how my death might have affected them." She gently shook her head from side to side. "I'm afraid of things I've felt and seen, afraid of a second chance not being enough."

.

She slowly took a step towards returning to the bedside, her skin crawling with chills and her legs weak. "But then, I remember a time when I felt… very similar before…"

.

There was a hitch in his breath as she stood before him at the bedside, her gaze still refusing to rise.

.

"I was afraid… of what I was… of who I was. I was afraid of carrying Alex, of how his fate would be shaped by my circumstance. I was afraid… that the world would see a dragon in love with a human." She couldn't help but smile as she released a hot trail of tears from her bubbly eyes. "And my husband was too afraid of shadows past to hold me like I needed."

.

His heart swelled with the memory.

.

"Maybe for you, that was fourteen years ago that we fought those demons together, but to me, it was a little over a week and a life-changing afternoon," she whimpered frailly. She knelt onto the bed and crawled to his midst, reaching out to hook her little finger around his beneath the creamy ribbon binding him. "It's not going to be easy, defeating fourteen years of sorrow and regret…" With a trembling and mechanical shift in her neck, she slowly raised her gaze to where he hadn't torn his away from her presence joining him. "But I freed you from it once and I'll do it again…"

.

When his gaze finally locked with hers for the first time since his son had managed to resurrect her from the ashes, he wished he'd had the strength to say something, to match her passionate sentiment with something of his own. Maybe he had been a little dramatic. There were enough moments, enough people around him celebrating her return that he should have known better. He supposed maybe the problem was the cynical man he'd become raging war with the optimist she had helped to breed during the conception of the child he thought he'd lost with her.

.

He watched the crystalline dance of light in the gloss of her tears as her unblinking expression watched him carefully. She was looking for life. He remembered that sad and glowing expression, filled with admiration and hope. He remembered the weight of its stare as it pierced his soul and branded his heart with her ownership. It was part of how he'd known she was really sitting on the bed in front of him. If he had been imagining her, she wouldn't have that same sad furrow knotting her brow, not when he had finally learned her expression without it.

.

The burning in his eyes became far too great to ignore so he had to break their intensity, if only for a moment, to blink profusely. The room glistened with the tunnel vision created by the presence of tears fighting to fall. His breathing shuddered and as he spoke, he tried his hardest to clear the weak rasp drowning his words in sorrow. "I missed you so much…"

.

Neirah's soft expression diverted and allowed his hand to reach to her face. She watched his fingers reach her lips, tracing their quiver with an equally fidgety touch. Her gut wrenched when the heat of her breath met the pad of his finger, sending sparks through his forearm that made the limb jitter in alarm. His fear and apprehension broke her heart. She closed her eyes and let her chest inhale her relief as she raised her hand to his and slowly lowered it back to their laps before he could get brave enough to attempt kissing a possible mirage.

.

"I'll prove it; prove that I'm here…" Sensing his confusion, she slowly captured his wrists and drew his hands towards her body. She stopped when he obediently rested his palms on her hips. "I want you to hold me," she instructed calmly. She laced her fingers with his on her hips, slowly inching their combined heat over her haunches. She released her hold on his hands in order to raise in his lap and hold his head to her breast. "Tighter."

.

His expression grew sedated with her tender command as he obeyed and flexed his timid grip on her hindquarters. Maybe he'd gotten brave by emptying his thoughts the moment she'd wrapped the hard leather of his collar back around his neck, but he was relapsing soon after. His body tightened, his expression growing pained with the memories crashing into him and taking the breath from his lungs. Her broken body cooling in his arms, her breath failing to meet his lips as he kissed her.

.

His body shook alertly when her hands found him again and encouraged his fingers to sink back into her skin. "Tighter."

.

"Neirah," he muttered brokenly.

.

"Laxus," she breathed passionately against his ear. The impact made him groan with arousal despite his demons trying to choke the life from within him.

.

"Squeeze me," she encouraged. She stroked her touch between the webbing of his spread fingers. "Harder. As hard as you can." She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his temple, her breathy kiss helping to relieve the pressure of his migraine. She smiled softly as he obeyed no matter how reluctantly painful. "That's it," she encouraged. "Harder." She winced as his shoulders arched and the transfer of strength made her whimper with the painful pinch of his obedient grip. "See?" She raised one set of fingers into the roots of his hair. "Squeeze me as tightly as you can, you won't ghost through."

.

Laxus narrowly parted his eyelids to stare into her shoulder, his brow creased with vexation. He was starting to understand why she'd made such a request of him. In return, he filled his chest with a steadying breath before repeating the needy offence. She was right. She didn't fade from his touch. She didn't shy away. The pressure caused her to whimper but she stayed, there for him to feel against him.

.

"Good," she mewled weakly. She slipped away from him and took his chin in her hands. She closed her eyes and smiled before placing a tender kiss on his brow. She could tell she was getting a rise out of him, but she couldn't let him take control. If he took control, there was a chance he'd fall back into the defeated illusion that their union was a lie. She couldn't afford to let things go his way.

.

She lowered the tilt in his head until his rushing breaths started to respire against her left breast. "Taste it," she commanded tenderly. She watched his gaze shift to where her guild mark glistened in the candlelight of their bedroom. "I want you to feel how fast my heart is pounding, how strongly it beats for your touch. It lives for it."

.

Laxus' aching chest started to heave uncertainly as his sight laid on the skin that should have carried the scar of a katana to pierce it. His brow knotted as he reached trembling hands towards her perfect bronze skin, his body starting to tighten all over. That was when he felt Neirah's gentle touch on a wound of his own, reminding him that not all such strikes are fatal. He closed his eyes, tighter as she sank a trim nail into the dark trail to trace it. It was that subtle reminder that spurred his progressive step.

.

"Has my dog forgotten to obey his master's commands?" Neirah drew a deep breath, tender in her approach so not to startle him into a devastating relapse. She kept her reminders subtle and non-verbal, for the most part; slowly encouraging him to follow her lead. She needed them back on the same path.

.

Her gaze grew weighted as she watched him slowly approach, her eyelids falling heavier the nearer he got to the golden wings on her left breast. He touched the tip of his nose to her skin, and at first, she thought he might scare himself off the trail. But as soon as she started to slowly stroke the nape of his neck and breathe tender encouragement into the sentiment, he was guiltily indulging.

.

He closed his eyes and buried his face between her breasts, inhaling her sweet floral scent as his tears dampened the race of her heart. His fingers reacted in her haunches, giving her another relieved squeeze to anchor himself to her reality. Soon after, he allowed his hands to start to crawl without her encouragement. He dusted a single knuckle up her spine, listening to the palpitating race of her heartbeat beneath her skin.

.

Her temperature was warm and rising, the heat of their union between her breasts so hot it was causing him to perspire. Just when his damp lashes where fluttering against her skin with hesitancy, she was interrupting his thoughts with a gentle, wheezing moan. He slowly rolled his slack peripherals towards her flushed, lusting expression. The blood rushing to her ears and the swells of her cheeks were flushing her skin in a way that was making her slowly lose the weight of their roles. He studied the lines of her face with great scrutiny as he slowly slipped his fingers back down her spine, his body reacting alertly to the quiver in her flesh. _Such a pretty blush._

.

"I want to kiss you…"

.

Neirah shook her startled senses clear and shot her bewildered expression to where his rosy cheeks were still indulging in the feeling of her heart racing. She was surprised to hear him surrender to passion so quickly, but she could tell by the flush in his face that there was still hesitancy keeping him grounded. She couldn't help but smile bashfully at his familiar desperation. "Dog says what?" She chanced to mock.

.

Laxus' gaze brightened ever slightly as their gaze met and he dusted his rumbling woof against her sternum. "He says woof," he instigated softly. He gently pressed his lips to her chest and vertically teased her spine once more. "But he still wants to kiss you… kiss his wife." He ignored her affectionate whimpers and moved one hot palm up between her shoulders to tangle in the wild curtain of sakura-scented locks. The only thing he couldn't actively recall was the taste of her kiss. "My wife," he breathed heavily. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips lightly to the side of her neck, her throbbing pulse tickling his hunger.

.

Taking a deep breath, she straightened confidentially and tried to keep her composure. "Are you sure I won't fade away once you do?"

.

"No," he murmured surprisingly bleakly. Neirah's expression faltered for the slightest of moments as she waited for him to elaborate. "I'm not sure," he continued. "But if I only have… one night or less… I'm going to live it for as long as I can." He closed his eyes and nuzzled into her chin, letting her warm teardrops roll over the bridge of his nose. "Who knows," he mused fondly. "This is… the most alive I've felt in years… And if my life, is intertwined with yours then… I'd…" He sighed breathily and crushed her fragile frame overwhelming tightly to his chest. "Then I guess I'd better start livin' again."

.

Neirah withdrew her face and glanced his way, prying his affection from her collar in order to lock their gazes. She was so proud of his ability to trust and surrender to her aid. He'd grown so much more docile over the years. She enjoyed their quips, but when it came to bringing him peace, she was glad he believed in their arrival there together. "You can kiss her on one condition."

.

Laxus closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "I don't think so," he challenged. "I don't make deals with demons."

.

Neirah's expression paled, her body tremoring with disbelief as his snide quip was followed with a playful smirk. She looked down into his peaceful gaze and stroked the swell of his cheek. No sight could have made her happier. "You dealt with one over the conception of your next child."

.

He closed his eyes and sighed contentment for her petting. "You've already got my soul. What else do you want?"

.

She might have tried to bargain a smile from him, but he was already flashing her one. She slipped her fingers over his lips and memorised the pleasant lines. It hadn't taken nearly as much convincing as she thought, all she'd had to do was confront him, and there they were; stumbling back on a dusty road side by side. "I want you to follow through with your kiss," she assured him passionately. "I want you to make love to your wife."

.

"Is that all," he whispered wryly. He thought about her words for a long moment, his heart racing almost as quickly as hers. He couldn't explain how grateful he was for her cunning intuition. She always knew just how to help him start healing. But it was just that, a start. He didn't know if he would be capable of keeping himself together for the duration of their union, not after he'd been so long without her and harbouring so many scars over her loss.

.

But there she was, sitting in his lap pushing all of his sensitive buttons and begging for his affection. He gave her roots another calculated massage as he filled his senses with her presence. And there he was, being bribed back to life by his exotic little nympho. "Shit, I'm getting too old for this…" Neirah's glassy gaze widened as he pulled away from her and gave his head a gentle nod. "Alright, succubus, have it your way."

.

"My apologies," she cooed disconcertedly. "I didn't realise that my love was such a burden-"

.

Neirah's breath caught as his heavy palm found the back of her head and forced her forwards until their lips were crashing together with a feverish passion strong enough to see them both swollen and rosy. She let her head reel for a lazy moment of comprehension before surrendering to his will and relaxing beneath his pressure. She laced her fingers in his hair and clutched him just as tightly as he'd held her, it was only fair. Soon though, thoughts were surrendering to the mind-numbing crush of their affections starting to pool and mingle in the centre of the bed. All he'd needed was a taste, a breath of life in his lungs to remind him why it was her; why she was the one who held the fate of his heart. All at once, she felt him come alive like he was the one coming back from a bleak, everlasting rest.

.

She moaned passionate fervour into his kiss as she clutched his face tightly between strained fingers. Maybe she didn't know what his life had been like, maybe she would never know the weight of the memories he carried, but what she did know was that she wasn't going to give up on him, on them. She was full of her own fears but they all surrendered when he was in her arms; when she was in his. With the smothering of her breasts against his aching chest, their hearts were finally one again, just like she'd left them.

.

She wanted to steal her breath back from him to pant, moan, anything to help relieve the tensions welling within her for the absorption of his hunger, but he seemed adamant about keeping her lips locked and under his influence.

.

Neirah tossed her head back and started to writhe responsively. "Stop teasing," she demanded breathlessly. "I've been waiting for this… all week."

.

With a soft and somewhat tormented expression, he pressed his lips to her ear before murmuring his gentle reminder. "I've waited fourteen years, three months and sixteen days," he nearly groaned.

.

She raised her hands to his face and kept his gaze close. "Then don't make either of us wait anymore," she begged.

.

"Says the master to the dog," he murmured huskily.

.

Neirah mewled her slight impatience as she leant forward and removed his collar, tossing it to the floor with a ringing clatter. "Says a wife to a husband," she whimpered feverishly. "A lover to a friend…"

.

Laxus' breathing grew laboured with restraint when she took his hand and raised his wrapped wrist to her lips so she could place a gentle kiss on the ribbon.

.

"After tonight, I hope you don't need this anymore," she whispered tenderly. "I hope you realise how blessed we are, and that I'll never be from your side again."

.

He gently reached out to her with his bound hand and captured her fleeting expression. "You don't know that," he cautioned her sternly. "You don't know what might happen-"

.

Neirah captured her husband's sceptical sentiment behind a deep kiss. Once he'd parted his teeth in acceptance of her passion, she slowly moved her explorative hands to the waist of his favourite sleep pants. "Just stop," she begged lightly between zealous sucks. "If we don't know what's coming, love me like it's the last."

.

He let her undress him, their kiss growing sloppy with clumsy exploration. "Is it ok?" His murmur was soft and heady as his lethargic gaze narrowly spied the shimmer of her concern. "The baby," he groaned. "Is she- is it-"

.

Neirah's chest started to ache with sentiment as he fumbled with the certainty of their child's unknown gender. She clasped her husband's face before gently pressing their tight lips together. "She'll be fine," she encouraged lovingly. "It's far too early to worry about these things. I thought you would have learned that with Alex."

.

Laxus pressed his brow more securely against hers as his mount pressed her back into the sheets. "Forgive me for being careful around the pieces of my world," he teased lovingly. "Now that… they're finally coming back together, I don't wanna knock them outta place."

.

Neirah's expression warmed maternally. "You might have figured it out long before now, but…" She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he feathered kisses over her collar. "When you say things like that, the way the daddy in you looks at our son, the way he supports the mommy in me… My heart doesn't have the capacity to contain the love I feel for you."

.

He lightly nuzzled the underside of her chin and hollowed his back for her elated scritches. "I just got you back," he respired meekly.

.

"You make such a good daddy," she praised devotedly. "An exemplary husband…"

.

Laxus' expression wavered with her gush for a moment before retracting his gaze to connect them. "I- I was so afraid… When I… when we lost you, I didn't believe…"

.

Neirah pressed indulgent kisses over his throat to interrupt his self-conscious rambles. "What do you believe now, holding your wife hot and heavy beneath you?"

.

"Everything…" He watched her tip her head back, breathing ecstasy in her sigh. "Everything all at once."

.

Her thighs trembled as they wrapped around her husband's hips, an itch throbbing between them that she needed him to relieve before she burnt up their sheets. "Then believe in me too," she pleaded eagerly. She sucked back her lower lip with a needy purr. "Mn, it's so strange," she mewled. "I feel like I'm the one talking you through your first time, but you've had fourteen years on me."

.

Laxus stilled mid-action as his vexed expression glanced her way. He knew she hadn't meant anything by it, innocent banter that she was used to ricocheting between them during their entanglements. He could tell she was second-guessing her choice of words when her body started to stiffen less fluidly against him, but despite her infraction, he pressed his hips into hers and contorted her look of concern until she moaned delight. "And just what's that supposed to mean?" His rumble was deep and even, refusing to defend or retaliate.

.

Neirah's face flushed as she raised the back of her wrist to her teeth to help stifle her breathless wheezes. "I… it's nothing," she encouraged. "It's just-" Her words were chased out of her throat. His palms were hot on her haunches as he raised her into his commanding presence and made sure it took her breath away.

.

Once he'd settled into a rhythm, he joined her among their sheets and bopped her dainty nose with his. "Just shut up." The words he said were the coarse kind that he'd been more likely to use in his youth, the stiff rebuttal came back to him seamlessly in his recollection as more of his decade and a half of maturing started to revert. Despite the harsh sentiment though, he couldn't have made it sound anymore tender. It seemed like he would retain a jumbled mismatch of memories and developments from a variety of times and ages that he no longer was. "There was only you…"

.

Neirah's breathing was puffing her chest exasperatedly as she restrained the need to cry out for him, but the moment he took her left hand in his, she raised a weighted gaze to spy what he was up to. Her heart started to flutter as he drew her wedding band to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on it. "You might not have cared if it were one, a hundred, but just thinkin' about it makes me sick."

.

Holding her hand in front of his face after his gentle kiss, he quietly reached out and clasped his teeth over the ribbon she'd tied to his left wrist. He didn't take his gaze from hers as he slowly tugged on the end of the bow and the ribbon started to unravel. Once it was free and laying in the bedding next to her, he drew their joined hands to her chin as he clasped it. "Only one person in this world could ever bring me this kind of peace, could save me from a lifetime's worth of demons in an instant," he whispered certainly. "There will only ever be you."

.

"Laxus," she sobbed feebly.

.

"I love you, Neirah," he narrowly managed to articulate before the tears were drowning his tone. "Never again. This can never happen… never again, ok?"

.

Neirah leapt forward and threw her arms around her husband as his tears met his bared grimace to the shake of his head for denial. She brought their lips together briefly before burying her restrained expression in the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry," she cried delicately. "I should have listened to you."

.

He splayed his palm between her shoulders to help support her quivering figure upright against him. "Every day," he commanded. "You're by my side. You, me, Alex and-" His chest swelled with pride. "Never again," he whispered certainly. "We do this livin' thing like a team from now on."

.

Neirah trembled to the sound of the broken waiver in his voice, her tears freefalling over his chest. "Our son is the reason we're here," she articulated powerfully. "Laxus, our little boy… He did this. He- We made that handsome little boy who moved heaven and earth to… He did what nobody else could… for you."

.

"For us," Laxus corrected fondly. "He did it for us…"

.

Neirah broke away from him and the furrow in her brow had finally released to leave a beautiful teary-eyed smile beaming back at him lovingly. "What do you think his little sister will be like?"

.

Laxus groaned with an agitated passion as he tried to keep from cutting their lovemaking short with the power of his devotion to his family. "You don't know it's a girl yet."

.

Neirah shook her sleepy smile and quickly kissed him before whimpering her sexual tension. "I do," she mewled brightly. "You asked me for a little girl and that's what I'm going to make you. Surely fate wouldn't be so cruel to take her away from us after all we've been through." Neirah's eyes grew wide with surprise, her cheeks flushed with arousal as she was dropped onto the bed and crushed beneath his possessive weight.

.

"Fuck fate," he growled ardently. "If she's in there it's because we put her there. Fate can stay the hell out of lives from now on."

.

"Mn, Daddy," she purred seductively. "Whatever you say."

.

"I'm serious," he grumbled. Laxus sighed euphoria and traced the blushing swells of his wife's glowing face. "Fate took somethin' that wasn't theirs, somethin' precious to me. And when I'd lost all hope, Alex risked everything to get you back." He arched predatorily and made sure she reacted to his possession. "Fate pissed me off," he assured her. "From now on, if fate decides to get fresh, I am going to tear it into tiny pieces of space and time until it spits out the one I want."

.

"And the fate you want is a little girl?" Neirah's whine was desperate as she tried to stop her body from shaking but with the heat of his unbridled passion searing her from his fingertips, she couldn't.

.

"I already have one," he assured her confidently. "Because my beautiful wife made her just for me while the perfect son she made me was out kicking fate's ass."

.

She arched her back with a louder cry than should have met her lips with her ignorant four-year-old sleeping soundly down the hall. "Please stop," she implored submissively. "Laxus, I…" Her breath was stolen for a moment as her body started to quiver with the ache of release. "You're- I'm going to…" She covered her mouth, pinching her forearm in a frantic bite to stifle her passionate cry.

.

Laxus' tone was almost sinister as he spoke his quiet refute against her pinched forearm. "We'll tell him you had a bad dream."

.

Neirah's body bucked urgently when she raised her exhausted gaze to catch the dim flash of candlelight on her husband's glistening canines. Her weighted gaze filled with contentment as she reached out to his parted jaws and traced the glossy surface with a single finger. She moaned her thrill and quietly cupped the back of his head to massage his roots, gently milking the golden strands that were standing on end with his eagerness. "Easy, Daddy," she crooned. "There's living in the moment and then there's breaking Momma Dragon's tired body." That's what she got for not confronting him sooner. She'd lost sleep and her appetite ever since her return simply for his avoidance.

.

Laxus reined in his thoughts and let it weigh his pace down with a panting sigh. He stared past his perspiring nose into her kind and loving expression. It had been a long time since he'd had an outlet for his frustrations, be it a warm body beneath him or a strong wall to break. He sighed defeat and quietly slipped his face beneath her palm with a blissful groan. "Sorry," he rumbled faintly. "Guess I was takin' the 'live in the moment' thing a little far."

.

Neirah gently shook her head. "No, it's not that," she reassured. "If I had more energy I'd be pouncing you like a Momma Dragon in heat."

.

Laxus noticeably shivered. "Oh yeah, I like the sound of that."

.

Neirah groaned her delight. "You're insatiable. Love me to sleep tonight," she mewled contentedly. "And after a sound sleep and a decent breakfast, I'll be yours for the ravaging."

.

A ping fired off between Laxus' ears for an uncertain moment. "Hey, we're not together for the sex now, are we?"

.

Neirah snorted awkward laughter and shook her head. "I don't think so, Prince," she defended wryly. "We're here because any other way just feels wrong."

.

"Not 'cause of fate."

.

"Not because of fate," she assured. She slipped her hands down over his haunches and gave his hindquarters an encouraging squeeze. "I'm just happy to feel your love again. It would be worth leaving this world a hundred times just to feel this once."

.

Laxus settled comfortably on top of her and moved to stroke her face as his slow grinds contorted it with bliss. "Nothing I could ever make you feel is worth your life," he guaranteed her humbly. "Never. again."

.

Neirah smiled back at him weakly with tender tears glossing the rim of her eyelids. "Never again," she whispered breathlessly.

.

Their seamless and fluid entanglement grew deeper when he connected their lips. There was nothing in the world he could value like he valued her there, safe in his arms. Loss was something he never wanted anyone to suffer. Even the vilest of villains had a heart that beat, and he couldn't imagine any quicker way to take a fragile heart and corrupt it with grief. He'd watched as it almost construed his own flesh and blood with wrathful agony, it had almost destroyed himself. Maybe he wouldn't be outwardly merciful with that sympathy in mind, but he would consider that before blindly extinguishing a light that could be saved.

.

Like his.

.

His light was returning in all it's magnificent brilliance beneath his heavyset frame. Her smile was more radiant than he'd remembered, her warmth more consuming. Perhaps it was because he'd lost her for all those years that he was cherishing her even more deeply than he'd ever done. And she was right. They did have the slumbering toddler in the room down the hall to thank for their love, the resurrection of two broken souls lost in a void of darkness. All those years he thought his boy had hated him, only to discover that he'd been fighting all along to take his father's pain away. Laxus was overwhelmed with the compassion his beautiful wife had bred. Not only had she passed her big, generous heart to their boy, but his own exposure to the two of them had helped smooth his rough edges until he was an upstanding sort of fellow himself. The love of his little family was contagious, and it was growing. One day, he'd tell Alex the truth, explain to him that because of him, his mother and little sister were welcomed back into their lives.

.

He had never held his wife so tightly all through the night. She'd probably cursed him during parts because it seemed at times she wanted to toss, adjust her position, but he didn't let her; he'd kept her locked protectively beneath him. He'd watched her quietly in the candlelight for most of the night, stroking her hair from her face and kissing her sleepy smile like he had the night they were married. And once he was sure she wasn't going to vanish from his warm bed, he'd climbed out of it and wandered his way down the hall. With a fluttering heart at about an hour before dawn, he cracked open his son's door and snuck inside.

.

He set himself on the edge of the boy's bed, twisting the whiskers on the stuffed cat the youth had inherited from his mother. Getting brave, he swept trembling fingers through the boy's wild mop and smiled at the way the child hummed and cooed in his sleep like his mother did. With a sleepy smile, Laxus leant down and pressed his lips to the top of his son's head, his chest swelling with pride for the boy's triumph even if the youth had no recollections of the events to unfold. "Thank you," he murmured appreciatively.

.

He didn't think his heart could be any fuller with love for his family until he stepped back into his own bedroom to the sight of his tiny dancer curled up in the heat he'd left on his side of the bed. He'd seen her lay like that before, instinctively clasping the swell of her tummy that came with childbearing. She was a couple of months too soon, but that didn't mean he didn't delight in the reality that those days were swiftly approaching again. His smile broadened peacefully as he made his way to her side of the bed and tugged the covers a little higher on her exhausted frame. He placed a similar kiss on her head as he did to his son and knelt to pick up the box she'd left there the night before.

.

He quietly set the box on her dresser and dug through it to retrieve her ugly little good fortune cat. He just stared into it's beady, soulless eyes for a long moment before scoffing lightly and setting the cat back in its dust ring on the dresser where it had always been.

.

Upon passing, he considered the doll that Neirah had dug out earlier that day. He smiled down at the delighted figure, the sunny smile beaming back at him unconditionally. In a moment of guiltless indulgence, he held the doll to his face and inhaled his wife's soft springtime scent.

.

"Mnf, Laxus?"

.

He shifted his tired gaze to where his anxious wife began to stir in their sheets, reaching absently for his warmth. "Here," he rumbled gently. He set the doll down next to her cat figurine and started for the bedside.

.

Neirah smiled contentedly as she shuffled over on the mattress to allow him the room he'd need to accompany her. "Sweetie, come back to bed. You're supposed to worry about me disappearing, not the other way around."

.

Laxus couldn't help but smile as he rejoined her beneath their blankets. "Because you're half-asleep, I'll let that slide."

.

"Mn, too soon?"

.

"Don't test me, woman," he chided lovingly.

.

She giggled to receive his doting kiss on her brow before she was dropping her face simply against his bare chest. "So serious," she crooned. Then she was out.

.

He slipped his arms around her and held her close to his heart the whole night through. Maybe she did take her own death too lightly, maybe a part of that hurt him, but then, after all she'd put up with from him and his lack of self-worth, he thought maybe fair was fair. All that mattered in that moment was that his angels had come back to him.

.

And they'd even thought to return his smile while they were at it.


	20. The Weight of My World

**The Weight of my World**

.

.

.

"Well good morning, master." Mirajane cooed from her usual post behind the guild hall's bar. "You must have had a good sleep." She teased innocently in silent dig to his late arrival. Gajeel turned curiously over his shoulder to face where Laxus had joined them and casually dismissed the thought.

.

"I took my time." He mused slowly, raising his arm to reveal a skittish little blonde beneath his jacket. Gajeel rolled his eyes with Mira's affectionate swooning and slowly climbed to his feet.

.

"She's walkin' to the guild on 'er own already, huh?" Gajeel uttered on approach, taking Laxus' side as the man folded his arms over his chest.

.

Mirajane's cheeks warmed as she came out from around the bar and knelt in front of the tiny girl; a sweet offering in her hand. The two watched Lyra hide her nervous features from Mira behind Laxus; clinging to his pant leg for defence. "When she feels like it…" Laxus offered softly, well aware that he had a hard time letting her venture on her own despite her newly acquired skills.

.

"Ya feel old yet, pops?" Gajeel teased dryly as he offered his friend a wicked smirk.

.

"Not as old as you look…" Laxus quipped back in challenge, a familiar gleam in his rivalled expression.

.

"HEY! I got dad stuff to do! Levy can't do it all, y'know!" The sleep deprived slayer defended heatedly through his self-conscious blush. Lyra tipped her big blue eyes up at her father in question, the mere force of the gesture causing Gajeel to flinch. "Holy crap. How do you deal with that?!"

.

Laxus offered a low and throaty chuckle as he tipped his chin towards Mira permissively, offering Gajeel a calm smile. "The same way I deal with your sister."

.

"There you go, sweetie. Hmhm see? I'm not so scary." Mira sang out gently, her kind smile under suspicious scrutiny as the gentle creature nibbled quietly on her cookie.

.

"Not at the moment…" Cana eavesdropped from nearby.

.

"What do you say?" Laxus started in encouragement. Lyra tipped her gaze towards her father before removing the cookie from her mouth to wrap her arms quickly around Mira. After the briefest of embraces, she scooted back behind her father's leg and gratefully munched on her cookie.

.

"We uh… kind of figure that means thanks." Laxus rushed out uncertainly, rubbing his palm over the back of his neck.

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"She's absolutely precious." Mira whispered softly, standing among her friends to join the conversation.

.

"Hm… Still not talkin' huh…?" Gajeel grunted out quietly in concern.

.

"She'll talk when she's ready…" Their gathering turned and watched Neirah step around her husband with the glow of a proud mama's smile.

.

"I'm so glad to see you visiting more." Mira purred with a delighted smile. "You didn't come to visit us very often when Alex was first born."

.

Neirah smiled warmly and leant down to where her daughter had approached, arms wide open with half of a cookie between her teeth. "I'm trying to do things right this time around…" She uttered softly, taking Lyra up into her arms. The rest of the guild wasn't privy to the fourteen years she had spent away, or any of the events that came after her death. But the one's who did, knew that she'd stop at nothing to make up that lost time. She nuzzled the girl's nose, causing the guild to swoon with the angelic giggle the child emitted. "Besides, I'm too young for retirement." She laughed out enthusiastically.

.

She let an over exaggerated gasp escape her when Lyra offered her the other half of her cookie. "What is this?! A cookie? Now, where did you get that?" Neirah followed Lyra's bashful gesture as she pointed towards a waving Mirajane. "Why thank you!" She mused, taking a small bite from the other end of the girl's cookie. She smiled with the cautious blush of her daughter as she timidly retreated her flushed features into Neirah's shoulder. "Thank you." Neirah whispered softly, taking Mira's side.

.

"Of course!" Mira giggled.

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"Well she may not talk, but she's a smart little thing." Gajeel started low, cutting his gaze sharply towards Laxus. "You sure she's yours?" Gajeel's brow furrowed as he watched Laxus cover his daughter's eyes moments before he bopped the iron dragon on the head. "OW! You son of a-" Gajeel narrowly caught the flash of Neirah's stern gaze before silencing his curses. And to make matter's worse, big blue eyes batted thick black lashes over them curiously as Lyra innocently observed her over-zealous uncle. He turned quickly from where Neirah set Lyra on the ground, throwing a finger in Laxus' face. "One of these days when the runts aren't around-"

.

His direct finger relaxed as he watched the girl immediately return to where she clung to her father's leg. "Good luck with that." Neirah snorted out energetically. "It's hard enough to get him to come to bed at night. She doesn't let him leave until she's asleep."

.

"That's absolutely adorable!" Mirajane cooed, unaware of the colouring of Laxus' cheeks alongside her.

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"Speaking of, where's trouble two?" Gajeel started suspiciously.

.

"At your house." Neirah mused in instigation, casually passing him by. Gajeel paled, his traumatised gaze lingering in a fourth dimension as he let the newly exposed knowledge sink in. "Why do you think I was late?"

.

"MY HOUSE?!" Gajeel roared in panic, whirling around to face his bratty little sister. "But Lily's there!"

.

Neirah sat at the bar nonchalantly and folded one leg over the other as Mira offered her a tea. "And if she wasn't, my son wouldn't be."

.

The guild watched in confusion as Gajeel stormed out of the hall as quickly as he could, grabbing a hold of Pantherlily on his way out with claims that he needed backup. "Wow, Gajeel's really protective over his little girl, isn't he?" Mira offered gently in observance. "I didn't think Alex was that much trouble."

.

Neirah's eyes were closed as she offered Mira a sly little grin from behind the rim of her teacup. "It's a long story."

.

Laxus felt Lyra's soft grasp tugging on his pant leg, and sure enough, when he looked down on her her arms were wide open in demand. "Did she walk all the way here?" Neirah asked softly, setting her tea cup back in its saucer to watch him take his little girl into his arms.

.

"She sure did." Laxus mused proudly, adjusting the beads on one of her stubby pigtails so that the pink Fairy Tail crest could catch the light.

.

"I'm surprised." Neirah started tenderly with a playful smile. "Not at her abilities, but your ability to allow it."

.

He watched Lyra nibble on her cookie for a long moment before a soft smile was lighting up his features. "What can I say?" He defended sheepishly. "That's a weight I don't mind on my shoulders."

.

"Oh?" Neirah chuckled out in exasperation. "The weight of the world wasn't enough?" She teased.

.

"Not compared to the weight of mine..." The novelty of the guild razzing him over fatherhood had worn off so he didn't batt an eye when crooning spectators purred affectionately over the little girl's gesture as she finished her cookie and leant towards her father to gently kiss his nose. "You are your mother's daughter…" He supported her carefully as she crawled up around his neck and rested her chin on the top of his head.

.

Neirah stood with an affectionate smile and leant on her tip toes to place a tender kiss on his cheek. "Did you warn my brother that you were teaching Alex magic?"

.

Laxus parted his lips to answer her inquiry when a statically infused iron dragon stormed through prying eyes towards Laxus. "Oh my…" Mirajane crooned in concern. "You're back quickly."

.

Gajeel ignored her curiosity entirely and advanced until he was nose to nose with their guild master. "If our bloodlines cross, I'm leaving you to deal with the little hellspawn." He snarled lowly in warning. He flinched when Lyra reached out to poke his nose, the static charge remaining in him leaping between them to her finger. He recoiled with a contained curse and rubbed the assaulted area as Lyra laughed whimsically at his situation. He growled lowly, still wriggling his nose as he fell back to Neirah's side.

.

"Maybe Lillian needs a baby brother." Neirah teased wryly.

.

"Oh, yea great and what if it's not?!" Gajeel defended impatiently. "With my luck, it'd be another girl and I ain't gonna just sit there watchin' him take his pick!" He snorted bluntly and dropped into a seat at the bar, shaking his head violently to expel the thoughts. "Why can't he just be a jackass like his old man." He hissed lowly under his breath, ignoring the glare of insult from his guild master.

.

Neirah dropped her arms around his shoulders and gently kissed his cheek. "Oh yes because we've seen how well brothers are capable of defending their sisters from jerks."

.

"The world's goin' straight to hell…" He rumbled dismally, dropping his brow against the bar top.

.

Laxus seemed to be off in his own thoughts as he tipped his affectionate gaze skyward to where two inverted blue eyes stared back at him from over his brow. "I don't know what world you're livin' in…" He mused softly. "Mine seems just fine…"


	21. Voice of the Heart

**Voice of the Heart**

.  
.

.

"I wish I could go with you…" Neirah mewled softly, smoothing her hands over his chest as if she were to straighten imaginary wrinkles from his shirt. "I hate the thought of you going alone, even if it is just for a-" She caught her breath with the pressure of his fingers around her chin, tipping her worrisome gaze his way.

.

"I think I can handle it," Laxus assured her lightly in humour. He leant in to press his lips against his wife's when he heard a soft choke of repulsion from around the corner. He expelled a languid sigh of exasperation and reluctantly backed away from her, rolling his peripheral gaze to one side. "Besides, if you tagged along, who'd watch our little brats?"

.

"Hey!" He wasn't surprised when Alex darted around the corner from where he'd been eavesdropping; barking defiantly back at him. "I'm not a brat!"

.

"You sure?" Laxus mused slowly, ruffling up the mop of auburn hair topping his son's head. "Only brats spy on their parents when they're talking."

.

"You weren't talking!" Alex defended sticking his tongue out at his father.

.

"Ahp! Don't be bold!" Neirah warned him urgently, raking the boy against her stomach. She bent over the squirming youth and pressed her lips to his head. "Or maybe I will go with daddy and leave you two with your darling Auntie Juvia."

.

"NOOO!" Alex wailed in alarm. "I'll be good! I will! Lemme stay with uncle Gajeel instead!"

.

Neirah's nose wrinkled as she backed away from her son to look down at him quizzically. "And just what's so poor about spending some time with your Aunt Juvia?"

.

Alex squirmed away and ran to his father's side. "She talks too much." He whimpered out submissively, turning to look up at his father. "Dad, why don't you take me with you? I know magic too! I could help if bad guys cause trouble!" He threw his arm out with his determination. "I know like three whole spells!"

.

"Terror of the territory you are." Laxus mused proudly. "And if I did, your mother would hang me out with the laundry." He admitted sheepishly, knowing full well that the kind of meeting he was attending was far from a bring-your-kid-to-work sort of social. "Besides, then who'd look after your mother while I'm gone?"

.

"But dad!" Alex whined desperately, tugging on his father's pant leg. "Mom can take care of herself. I wanna go with you!"

.

"Alex, I appreciate your concern, but your father has a great deal of responsibility with the guild and we just have to accept that sometimes he's got to travel." Neirah smiled sadly as Alex crossed the room with a twisted pout on his features. She gently stroked the back of his head as he walked face first into her lap, obviously cross that he wasn't getting his way. "Oh don't be like that." Neirah purred affectionately. "He'll only be gone for a couple of days."

.

"He'd be back quicker if he could take the train." Laxus flinched bashfully with his son's muffled retort; appreciative of the fact that Neirah tried her hardest to stifle her laughter.

.

"You should take yourself back to bed," Neirah whispered softly. "It's getting late."

.

Alex tipped his chin back against her thighs and furrowed his brow impatiently. "What so you and dad can kiss?" Laxus rolled his eyes from behind them as Neirah allowed a sinister curl to reach her lips.

.

"Yes. And unless you want a front row seat, you'd best hurry your butt back to bed." She laughed out loud as Alex flailed away in retreat.

.

"Ahh! I'd rather spend the night with Aunt Juvia!"

.

Neirah shook her head with a cheery smile. "And to think, that boy is every bit of stud as his father when he grows u-" She whimpered in surprise as her husband's finger found one of her jean belt loops and he proceeded to demand her presence. "Ooo, speaking of…" She purred softly upon crashing into his solid figure, laying her hands on either side of his face.

.

"Maybe when I get back, we can work on those triplets." He crooned affectionately, laying his kisses against her collar.

.

"We've been over this, Laxus." She defended sternly. "You were lucky you got the daughter you wanted. We are NOT having more children every time you're jealous of other parents in the guild."

.

"Jealousy's a strong word." He assured her whimsically. "I just like to remind everyone that everything they can do, I can do better."

.

"Oh, what a fantastic reason to have a family." Neirah laughed out energetically. "Spite."

.

"It's not like that…" He rumbled softly against her, running his fingers through her hair. "I didn't think anything could make me happier than when I was with you. Then I found out about Alex. I thought my life was perfect." He smiled humbly and pressed her hair back out of her face, resting his brow against hers. "And then you came back to me… and gave me Lyra."

.

She tipped her head to the side with a sweet smile. "Can't we just get a dog?" She whispered weakly.

.

A sly grin curled his lips as they neared hers. "We'll talk when I get back."

.

"You know, Sparky, talking involves words." She teased, returning his series of anxious kisses.

.

"I can think of a few words I'll be hearin'…" He laughed in spite of himself, delighted that even after their many years of marriage and two children; he could still make her blush. He pulled her quickly towards his chest and placed a hard kiss on the top of her head. "Tell Lyra daddy loves her." He threw a sack of provisions over his shoulder and headed for the door, ignorant to his wife hitching her hand up on her hip edgily in response.

.

"Achem? And what should I tell your wife?" She crooned devilishly.

.

He smiled as he looked down at the door knob beneath his palm before turning and looking over his shoulder at her. "You don't have to tell her anything." He teased tenderly. "She knows."

.

Neirah's smile grew yielding with affection as her cheeks coloured with her thoughts. "She always has…" It was just as hard for her to watch him leave as it was for their son, but against the inner youth in her desperate to run to him, she was able to contain her efforts. "Be safe."

.

He snickered in amusement to himself. "I pity the brain dead moron that tries to keep me away from… this." He smiled and turned the knob on the front door. "I won't be gone long."

.

As soon as the doorknob rolled over and clicked upon its withdrawal, something very unexpected interrupted his progression into the night. Neirah's breath caught as the awkward and rhythmic padding of a little girl's bare footsteps filled the hall. "L-Lyra?" She demanded uncertainly. "Sweetie, what are you doing out of bed?" Laxus flinched as the young girl crashed into his thigh, clinging to him defiantly. Neirah sighed on approach. "Did you have a bad dream?" Her heart sank as she watched the Lyra shake her head against her father's leg, refusing to let go of him. "Sweetie, daddy has to go now or he's not going to make it on time to th-"

.

"No…" Hearts stopped in the next moment hearing the sweet and edgy little squeak emitted from the little girl who had yet to speak a single word to anyone for the first four years of her life.

.

Neirah clasped her hands over her mouth; not a clue how to respond. "Lyra… you…"

.

"Daddy… can't leaf…" She whimpered gently, her father becoming increasingly aware of her tears dampening his pant leg. She shuttered softly, whining ever so gently in between her deep breaths. "Momma's daddy left… and he… nefer came back…" Neirah's heart broke for the first delicate words ever rushed past her daughter's lips. Despite never speaking, she was always a very intent listener and now they were paying the cost. "I don't want my daddy to leaf like momma's…" Lyra continued shakily, her silent snivels becoming more apparent. "Help me momma." She silently begged, her grip tightening on Laxus' leg. "I'm too lil… Pwease make daddy stay. Help me make him stay."

.

Neirah was far too busy trying to contain her devastated coughs as tears poured over her face for their daughter's efforts, her heart breaking to think that Lyra would even consider a time where she wouldn't have a father. Neirah parted her lips to beg Laxus to help her try and comfort the child, but she figured he was just about as speechless as she was at the moment. "Momma?" Lyra questioned through her tears. She started to turn to look over her shoulder, curious as to why her mother wasn't coming to her aid. But before she could turn entirely, her father's hands were sliding gently under her arms and lifting her up against his chest. "Daddy…" She mewled grimly, her squeaky little sobs uttered against the shoulder she buried her face in.

.

He didn't have a clue how to respond to the frail child, or how to react to the knowledge that the first words she ever spoke were to plead that he stay home with his family. He tipped his wary gaze to where his wife caught a laugh before its complete expulsion. "Well…" She offered weakly through a teary smile. "It's… not going to be easy to deny that."

.

"Momma, Awex and me… we need you." Laxus shifted so that his gaze could meet Lyra's as the petite girl hummed anxiously and clamoured about in his arms. Finally, she pulled out a little book and held it up for him to see. "See? I keep our spot marked with this… oops…" He quickly caught the little white ribbon that she retrieved from where it had been tucked between pages; returning it to where it had fallen from her clumsy grasp. Her fair cheeks flushed as she batted dark lashes over her large, glossy blue eyes upon her display of the place they'd left off together. "We din't find out what the prince did to the dragon…"

.

Laxus smiled warmly and smoothed her shoulder length white-blonde hair back out of her sleepy features. "Probably punched him in the nose for trying to take him away from his princess." He teased, watching in his peripherals as Neirah threw her hand up over her mouth to deny her choked laughter. He sighed and lowered the sweet giggling child to the ground, kneeling next to her in silent contemplation. "How about I make you a deal?" He started gently. "You go get your brother who's listening through the walls and tell him his plan worked. Then we'll stay up to finish our story." He snatched the hem of the excited faerie's nightdress before she could scamper off too far. "But." He rumbled smoothly, raking her giddy figure back against him. "I wanna hear more of this." He teased, smiling as he watched Lyra laugh sheepishly and squirm away from where his thumb caught her chin. "Yes?" He encouraged gently.

.

He flinched as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I luff you, daddy." She whispered delicately. His gaze followed her from the moment she gently kissed his cheek to the moment the tips of her golden locks were disappearing around the corner. He slowly stood, still not really quite sure what had happened until Neirah had taken his side; wrapping her arms tightly around one of his.

.

"I guess she was ready…" Neirah whispered softly. Her brow creased in concern as he turned to face her. "But I doubt that the other guild masters will approve of your absence…"

.

A smug grin curled his lips as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to the top of her head. "It wouldn't be the first time Fairy Tail defied authority."

.

"For a sweet little girl with the voice of angels…" Neirah purred affectionately, snuggling into his embrace.

.

"For _our_ sweet little girl." He corrected, watching Lyra as she dragged Alex down the stairs by his hand. "With a voice all her own." Neirah caught the quiet girl in her arms and spun her around before cuddling her to her breast; the room filling with their delighted snickers. Laxus recoiled with the weight of Alex leaping up against him and clinging to his arm; his startled expression shifting to where the boy offered him a wickedly triumphant grin.

.

"I told Lyra you'd stay," Alex assured him confidently as he was hoisted up into his father's arms. He dropped his small hands onto his father's head and ruffled up his hair in a similar way to what Laxus had done to him earlier. "'Cause our dad's the best dad in the whole world!"

.

Neirah's smile grew soft with the warmth the moment brought her as she watched Laxus flip Alex upside down. "Don't let your uncle Screwball hear you say that." Laxus teased, watching the ecstatic youth scramble to flip himself upright once more. Finally, Laxus laid his hand against the ebony Fairy Tail crest between his son's shoulder blades and supported his efforts.

.

Alex panted out a hard breath through his crooked smile as his father smoothed his pyjama shirt back down around his tummy. "Nah, uncle Gajeel's great and all… but my dad's the best!"

.

"Even when he's kissing your mother?" Neirah teased, sneaking a kiss in between her husband and son.

.

"Ew, mom! I'm sitting right here!" Alex grumbled, thrusting his hands out against his mom's face to keep her from assaulting his senses.

.

"Oh yes, silly me… Don't worry, prince, I've got enough to go around." Alex squealed shrilly through ecstatic laughter as Neirah bombarded him with affectionate kisses, Lyra's boisterous and sweet laughter ringing between the four. All of a sudden, she halted her advance with authority, pointing up the stairs. "Alright soldiers! Listen up!" She crooned setting Lyra back on the floor. "Your missions are as follows! Lyra; tread cautiously up the stairs and retrieve our book!" She smiled as she watched the little girl bound quickly back up the stairs in search of her storybook. "Alex!"

.

"Yes, mam!" He crooned in salute to his mother.

.

She threw her hand out in indication. "Go assist your sister in brushing her teeth! We rendezvous in ten. Mommy and daddy's room!"

.

"On it!" He exclaimed, chasing after his little sister while bounding over two steps at a time.

.

"And you!" Laxus flinched submissively as she threw a delicate finger out in his direction. He forced a dry swallow down his throat as she rolled her wrist to display her open palm face up; curling her finger in towards herself in indication. "I have a very special assignment for Fairy Tail's rebellious guild master…" She purred, stumbling backwards seductively into the kitchen doorway. He peeked up the stairs expectantly before taking an obedient step towards her; but once he was near enough, she reached out and grabbed a hold of his collar in demand. "Come with me, daddy." She whispered, pulling him into the kitchen. "We have 'tea to make'…"

.

"In ten minutes?"

.

She let her thick lashes linger weightily over her passionate ocean gaze. "Better hurry before they put out a request for backup on an MIA."

.

"Mn... yes mam."


	22. Anything BUT

**Anything But...**

.

.

.

Neirah had a contented expression on her face that evening as they walked through the snow. A beautiful starry sky peeked from behind the couple of stray clouds that sprinkled glittering specs of snow over Earthland that night by light of a full moon. It was almost Christmas time and the melodic sound of her son and daughter filled her ears as they made scattered arrays of tracks in the snow around their parents. "Can't catch me!" Lyra cooed from behind her woolly scarf; repetitive giggles forming steamy clouds in front of her face. Her enchanted laughter was soft and sweet as her little legs carried her through the couple inches of fresh powder covering the city's walkway.  
.

"Slow down, Lye!" Alex called after her through his smile. He tried his best to shorten his stride in order to make the angelic dancer think that she had a chance of escaping him. "You're too fast!"  
.

Neirah smiled and leant her face against the pale surface of her husband's coat. "Careful you two." She warned in a smooth and motherly tone, watching the children disappear ahead of them. "There might be ice under the snow!" She was a little surprised when she was encouraged to pause in her step to be drawn into a tight embrace.  
.

"It's about time." Laxus rumbled playfully against her brow. He dipped down and pressed his lips softly against hers. "I thought they were never gonna run off and start doing normal kid stuff."  
.

She purred softly and opened her eyes after a long moment of lingering in the warm sensation. "Mn, well if you were looking for an excuse to do mommy-daddy things, you should have said something earlier. Alex has been bugging me to let him take Lyra shopping for Christmas all week."  
.

"Did you try telling them that they're all the gift we need?"  
.

"Ooh, daddy." She crooned, throwing her arms up and around his neck. "Somebody's fallen under the Christmas charm."  
.

"It doesn't matter what time of year it is." He assured her softly. "You three mean the world to me. You knew that…"  
.

Neirah watched the affectionate warming of his expression before she tipped her head to one side with a suspicious smile. "No…" She murmured softly. "Absolutely not."  
.

"What?"  
.

"Laxus I told you, we are NOT having any more kids." She demanded from behind the same harmonious laughter her daughter had inherited.  
.

"I wasn't going to suggest it…" He defended weakly, hiding his diverted and flushed features behind the fluffy collar of his Wizard Saint jacket.  
.

"Liar." She purred. "I know your 'let's make babies' face, and that was it."  
.

"Alex!" He thundered, skirting around the awkward topic at hand. Neirah turned her crooked smile to the side as Alex popped his head around the corner of the building's he and his sister had ducked behind.  
.

"Yea dad?" He chirped curiously.  
.

"Your mother says you and Lyra had some business to take care of while we're here."  
.

"Oh! Yea!" He exclaimed enthusiastically.  
.

"Stay close to your sister." He warned.  
.

"Yes'sir!" Alex cheered hurriedly. "Here Lye, take my hand." He encouraged.  
.

"Where we go?" Lyra cooed innocently.  
.

"We're going to do that shopping you asked me to help you with."  
.

Lyra's gentle expression lit up with excitement, her sapphire eyes glittering in the starlight as she drew in a deep, delighted breath of air. "Yeahhh!" She gasped quietly, following her big brother into town.  
.

"Your father and I will wait around here for an hour," Neirah called after them. "Be sure not to be late!"  
.

"Kay momma!" Lyra called back.  
.

"That never gets old." Laxus mused proudly, lacing his fingers with his wife's. He leant down while simultaneously drawing her hand to his lips. "Mission accomplished." He murmured gently against the back of her hand before placing a soft kiss on her skin. "Your hands are cold." He informed her gently, clasping her hand between both of his. "What do you say we go warm them up?"  
.

Neirah was actually surprised that she was capable of blushing so unexpectedly with his humble request. "Well now, it's certainly been a while since we ever did something so vulgar in public…"  
.

Laxus blinked down at her vacantly for a moment before speaking. "I was gonna suggest coffee, but…"  
.

Neirah's eyes widened, her face flooding with heat. "Coffee sounds nice." She squeaked out bashfully. She flinched with the rattle of a garbage can lid nearby before tiny retreating paw prints were dotting the snowy path in front of them. She turned her attention to where the tiny creature's shadow disappeared around the corner and down the alley. "Awe, poor thing. We probably scared it away from supper…" She mewled glumly.  
.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Laxus encouraged, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they crossed to the other side of the street. "It's probably just someone's cat on its way home."  
.

She smiled up at him warmly before leaning onto her tiptoes and kissing the snowflakes away from his cheek. "You're probably right."

.  
.

A blissful sigh slipped past her lips with the steam escaping her blueberry white tea. "Oh sweet tea, you are my one true love." Her eyes widened and pout turned up to one side as she cast her gaze towards her husband. "Oh uhm… aside from you of course."  
.

"It's fine." He murmured gently over the brim of his cup. "After nine years of marriage, I'm used to it."  
.

Her cheeks coloured as she smiled into the scent of her tea rising, both hands clasping the warmth of her take-out cup. "Has it really been that long?"  
.

"Every bit of." He assured her swiftly. "Pretty crazy huh?"  
.

"Not as crazy as I am about you." She crooned leaning into his shoulder with a beaming grin.  
.

He groaned softly in acknowledgement of her sentiment. "Smooth."  
.

"I thought so." She mused, leaning her chin against his jacket to look up at him. "So, any thoughts on what to put under the tree for our children?"  
.

"I know what you can put under the tree for me."  
.

Neirah rocked into him with a seductive purr. "Mn, don't you get tired of getting the same thing every year?"  
.

"Nope."  
.

She sighed and continued to browse the windows of the shops they passed by, nibbling on her blueberry muffin contentedly. "I already know what I'm getting my brother…"  
.

"A personality?"  
.

"Uncalled for!" She chided playfully. "But Alex is at such a strange age, he doesn't want much. And Lyra gets the same things all year round from family, friends, well everybody; pretty much."  
.

"Problem is, you could get that girl a piece of string and she'd be delighted."  
.

Neirah smiled knowingly. "She doesn't take anything for granted, that's for sure."  
.

"Any ideas?"  
.

Neirah paused in her step before stopping completely. She ignored Laxus' hum of inquiry before finally backing up two steps into the alley they'd just crossed.  
.

"Neirah?"  
.

"It's that cat again…" She whispered gently, taking a step towards the alley. "Laxus, I don't think it has a home to go back to."  
.

Laxus caught his breath as she started towards the creature. "Hey, that's none of our business. Neirah!"  
.

"Here, kitty, kitty." She cooed, approaching the upturned trash can as slowly as she could with her outstretched hand rubbing its fingers together. She clicked her tongue lightly as the rummaging stopped. "I'm not going to hurt you…"  
.

Neirah flinched as the pitiful creature turned to face her, wide-eyed in terror. She caught her breath and froze in place, trying not to startle the skittish animal. "It's not a cat." She whispered softly. She whined gently as the dark spec turned tail and started through the alley away from her in fright.  
.

"Neirah what are you-"  
.

"I'm going after it!" She called back, setting her tea in the snow to go chasing after the fur ball. She slithered into the shadows of the earth and tailed it as closely as she could without making her presence seem daunting. Even so, in its clumsy steps, it caught a patch of ice beneath the snow and bounced its tiny jaw of the ground before scrambling to its feet to try and continue its helpless retreat.  
.

Finally, there was nowhere left for the beast to run. It backed itself up against the building blocking it's path, ears pinned to its head and tail between its legs as Neirah emerged from the shadows about ten feet away. She watched as it showed teeth, its hackles rising defensively as the half-starved little creature tried to come off as intimidating. "It's ok…" She mewled tenderly, breaking off a piece of her muffin. "You poor thing… I bet you were supposed to be somebody's Christmas present weren't you?"  
.

Laxus had followed Neirah around the corner but quickly concealed himself as the hunger-driven mongrel was lured towards her blueberry scented offering.  
.

"You're just a baby…" She observed, watching the dark coloured fluff approach her with caution. "Don't worry… I was pretty nervous my first visit to town too." She comforted with a warm smile on her lips. "Come to think of it, I was pretty hungry too." The pup had almost reached her fingertips when it looked up at her, its dark and sad eyes filled with something she'd recognised far too often within Magnolia's city limits. "Maybe, we can help each other out?"  
.

"That's not a cat…" Laxus informed, finally making his way to her side. He reached out and offered her the tea she'd abandoned to chase the pup.  
.

Neirah sat in the snow stroking the shivering poof's winter coat as it nibbled on her muffin. "No, it's just a puppy." She agreed, checking its cold, iced up paws. She smiled weakly as its tail started to waggle back and forth between his haunches. "It's half starved but healthy."  
.

Laxus blinked back at her before shaking his head. "No."  
.

"Wh-"  
.

"I know your 'let's take it home' face and that's it."  
.

"Laxus, it's living off people's garbage and it's barely managing that…" She smiled down at the lonely creature as it huddled up in the safety of her kind embrace. She slowly picked it up and let it snuggle into the fluff of her jacket. "We couldn't figure out what to get Alex and Lyra…"  
.

"Neirah…"  
.

She smiled as the dog started to lick at her face; it's stubby tail wagging back and forth rapidly in small, shy movements. "The first time I visited Magnolia I bumped into a boy and his dog. Together, they were ecstatic." She turned towards her husband with a desperate smile. "Then I found a lonely boy later on. He didn't have a dog, and he was awfully grumpy."  
.

Laxus sighed and rolled his eyes as he followed behind her on her way back into town. "Not this again."  
.

"And what a coincidence; I find a puppy without a boy and he looks about the same."  
.

"Are you comparing me to a dog?"  
.

"Wouldn't be the first time…" She quipped back playfully. "All I'm saying is that we shouldn't ignore this." She mused, shielding the animal from the whistle of the wind as they broke the cover of the alley. "Everything happens for a reason, fate and what not."  
.

Laxus flexed his fingers behind her, grinding his teeth with impatience. "Don't you dare rehash memories of all the things that made me fall for you just to get your way!"  
.

"Well, Alex IS at that age… and you said it yourself, Lyra would be content just with the ribbon I'm gonna tie around this little guys head."  
.

Laxus groaned and took her side, examining the little ebony mongrel closely. "Please tell me you're not serious…"  
.

She sat on a bench with the squirmy beast in her arms. "I always said I wanted to get that lonely boy in Magnolia a fuzzy."  
.

"I don't need a fuzzy; I need a wife that thinks before she just goes pickin' up strays." He scolded hovering above her.  
.

"I've been quite happy with the strays I've picked up in my time; thank-you-very-much." She crooned impishly, giving him a quick and apologetic peck on the cheek as he sat down alongside her. "I have some more muffin crumble in my pocket. Dig it out and give him some more."  
.

"N-"  
.

"Laxus…"  
.

"Yes, ma'am…" He expelled reluctantly. He obediently pulled some of the muffin out of her pocket, offering it to the pup that eagerly ate it up. When the puppy was finished his snack, he lurched forwards with his little tongue and slathered it along Laxus' nose. He backed away and wiped his nose on his sleeve as the squirmy pup yipped happily in Neirah's arms.  
.

"See? I think I know a grateful beast when I see one…" She cooed affectionately.  
.

Laxus sighed and looked back at two pairs of pathetic eyes; one set that he had always had a particularly hard time telling no. "I have one condition." He enforced sternly.  
.

"And what's that tough guy?" Neirah chimed giddily.  
.

"We name it ANYTHING but Sparky…"


	23. It's in the Family

**It's in the Family**

.  
.

.

"Crap! I'm late!" Gajeel demanded fervently, rushing down the empty hall. He skidded to a halt, almost toppling over in the process. He swiftly gripped the open doorframe for stability and swung himself around into the room. "I'm here!" He announced enthusiastically. "Did he faint yet?!"

.

Laxus wrinkled his nose impatiently before decking the iron dragon slayer for his racket. "Knock it off, would you?" He demanded impatiently. "Brother-in-law or not, I'm still your guild master. A little respect would be nice."

.

"Gihi, a little jealous that we're two ta one?"

.

Laxus closed his eyes, folding his arms over his chest dismissively. "I'm one kid ahead of you. You can't say you're winning until you've caught up."

.

"Oh yea! Well seein' as you ain't even in there right now, I'd say yer avoidin' it this time."

.

Laxus' brow creased impatiently with the feeling of bashful heat rising in his cheeks. "Neirah didn't want me in the room this time…"

.

Gajeel flinched unexpectedly with Laxus' announcement. "Really? That don't sound like Shads…"

.

Laxus turned and looked humbly towards the shut door between him and his wife. "Tell me about it. I was in there for Alex and Lyra."

.

"Oh don't be such drama queens." Levy huffed out weakly, clinging to the doorframe that her husband had swung himself in moments before. "Every time this happens, Laxus ends up with a head injury. If you ask me, it's for his own safety." Laxus looked up at the ceiling to dismiss his embarrassment as Levy reached over and raked Gajeel into her midst. "Next time, wait for me!" She demanded furiously, panting out heavy breaths with the extra weight she was toting herself. "Or at least help your damn wife up the stairs! You don't see Shadow struggling up the stairs on her own when she's almost nine months pregnant!"

.

Gajeel glared past Levy to where Laxus held his smug expression high in amusement. "There ya go with more of that husband of the year crap." He growled venomously. "I swear, one of these days…"

.

Gajeel flinched with a rough yelp when Levy jerked his head back into focus in front of her. "If I go down those stairs alone, you're dead!" She hissed vehemently through her teeth.

.

"Husband of the year nothin'." Laxus casually ribbed, watching Gajeel adjust himself after facing his little wife's outburst. "Mine doesn't get the crazies."

.

"Yea well Shads' normal ain't exactly normal either." Gajeel assured him timidly.

.

"You seem tense." Laxus casually observed. "I'm the one havin' a kid, what's got you so uptight?"

.

Gajeel cut him a sinister glare. "Yea well every time you and my kid sister have a kid the world goes straight to hell!"

.

"Oh come on that's not t-" Laxus paused for a moment before his expression could be seen equally as pale.

.

"Yea! That's right!"

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"How long has she been in there?" Levy huffed out weakly, still struggling to catch her breath.

.

"Uh Lev, I know yer in dragon mode, but uh… and don't take this the wrong way but… you don't look so good."

.

Levy gave a desperately pained whine, causing both the men to flinch. "Damn it, Gajeel! This is all your fault!"

.

"Crap!" Gajeel demanded in panic, taking Laxus up by the collar. "Yer husband of the year! The hell do I do!?"

.

Gajeel yelped when he was raked down to his wife's side to face her wrath. "Make sure your wife doesn't have your baby on the waiting room floor!"

.

Laxus stood silently as he watched Gajeel carry Levy out the door, Gajeel only peeking back in the doorway one last time to spare his rival a warning glare. "If you go faintin' again, Shads'll tell me." He cautioned.

.

"Gajeel!"

.

Laxus flinched as he heard the crack of Levy's palm against Gajeel's flesh. He had never been more thankful that his wife seemed to remain relatively sane during her pregnancies, especially her lineage considered. He slowly turned to face the closed door before him. But he was starting to worry. There had been very little sound coming from the other side and Neirah had been in the room alone with Porlyusica for a long time. He flinched silently as he heard soft cries coming from the room. They weren't his wife's.

.

He recoiled in alarm with the sound of Levy's wails coming down the hall and moments later, Gajeel was stumbling back through the door in a burst of panicked demand. "Damn it, Shads is gonna kill me."

.

"Sounds like your wife is gonna kill you." Laxus flinched when Gajeel lunged towards the door and threw it open. "Hey, wa-" He cringed as Gajeel dropped to the floor beneath Porlyusica's walking staff.

.

"Don't you know how to knock?" The old woman demanded furiously. "Big brute." She grumbled. "She hasn't trained all the beast out of you yet, I see."

.

Laxus peeked in the room, trying not to be too nosey in case he ended up in a heap on the floor too. He shuddered when Porlyusica turned her attention his way, but her expression immediately softened.

.

"You can come in now daddy."

.

He was immediately relieved to hear his wife's tired voice from where Porlyusica was dragging Gajeel out of the doorway. "Go on, child." She encouraged, shoving Laxus into the room. "And congratulations." She probably did think she sounded sweeter than she actually came off as, but he appreciated her help none the less. She had brought all three of his children into the world and for that, he would be eternally grateful.

.

Laxus watched the door close behind him before turning to face his wife, smiling just as sweetly as she ever did. "Come hold your son." She cooed gently, her sapphire gaze barely wide enough to see him stagger forwards.

.

Laxus had always been nervous to hold their newborns, but this one particularly posed a challenge for him. "He's so… tiny."

.

"After Alex, I'm grateful for that." She teased, her fingertips tenderly rolling off of his arm with her baby's release. "But he'll grow." She mewled proudly. "And he'll be big and strong just like his daddy."

.

Laxus sat on her bedside and held their newborn quietly in his arms. "He's quiet." He assured her softly. "I barely even heard him crying outside."

.

"Well, I'm sure the whole guild knows that Levy and Gajeel's next child is on their way." She teased. "I knew she'd be close behind." She watched with an affectionate glow as a small smile curled her husband's lips.

.

"He's pretty da-" He grunted when Neirah cuffed him lightly to keep him from cursing. "Pretty happy." He corrected.

.

"He didn't cry much at all." She whispered, trying her hardest to lean forwards against him. Laxus quickly offered her his second arm for support so that she could prop up against his shoulder. "He's been cooing ever since he stopped." She sighed blissfully and rested her weary eyes, smiling against his shoulder as he searched the folds of the blue blanket for the rest of his baby. "Porlyusica thinks he's going to look just like his father."

.

Laxus rolled his head to one side in silent contemplation. "Just looks right?"

.

Neirah's laugh was barely audible. "Oh? Afraid that Alex wasn't payback enough for your sins?" She lost humour fast in her weakness so just continued to smile instead. "If I could handle you, I'm sure I could handle a little you."

.

"Little is right…" He murmured quietly. "He's just so-" Laxus lost his words when the tiny creature in his arms finally opened his eyes for the first time to see his daddy above. "Damn…"

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"Laxus!" Neirah scolded.

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"Sorry." He defended sheepishly, watching the boy absently grip at his fingers. "He's got your eyes."

.

"Afraid?" Neirah teased, propping her chin against his shoulder to look down on the boy. She turned proudly and gave her husband a gentle kiss on the cheek. "They all have my eyes."

.

"I don't have enough soul left for this."

.

Neirah gave a delicate laugh. "I'm sorry."

.

Laxus turned as quickly as holding an infant would allow before taking his wife beneath his other arm and pulling her near. "Don't be." He whispered lightly, giving her a soft and languid kiss. "He's perfect…"

.

"You said that about all of them." She teased feebly.

.

"You make them all perfect."

.

"Well, I had help." Neirah blushed and reached out to where she reclaimed the soft little ball of baby. "And you did tell me we would make beautiful babies."

.

Laxus wrapped his arms around them both and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I'm just the reason the world flips on its head when they get here."

.

Neirah cut her gaze grimly to the side. "Don't you dare listen to what my brother says."

.

"Well, he's not wrong…"

.

"Perfect." She assured him softly, allowing him to poke at the curious infant who was searching new life for meaning. "All of them…"

.

"Should we give him a perfect name then?"

.

Neirah rested her head against Laxus' chest and watched their son fidget. "Did you have something in mind?"

.

"I'm not sure what happened with Lyra." He assured her humbly. "It's not like names, to just come to me like that."

.

"Well then, I had a thought."

.

"Hm?"

.

"I was thinking about this for a while." She assured him softly. "If we had another boy, I…" She bowed her head solemnly, contemplating her preposition. "Considered naming him in honour of…" She could feel Laxus tense at her back like he knew where she was going to take the conclusion of her sentiment. "Your grandfather."

.

He did know what to expect in the conclusion of her sentiment. What he didn't know, was how to react. He meditated silently on her proposal for a long moment, unsure of what he wanted to feel. If anyone was worth naming his son after, it was his late grandfather, but for reasons he was pondering too closely, he slowly shook his head.

.

It was almost as if he could feel his wife's heart sink with his rejection of her idea. "You don't think so…?" Neirah whimpered uncertainly.

.

"I… It's not that it's a bad idea." He started clumsily, diverting his attention out the window of the room. "But… he's got the world ahead of him."

.

Neirah looked back at him with a knowing smile.

.

"He's his own… little… person…"

.

"And you would prefer if he stayed that way." She concluded supportively.

.

Laxus looked back at her with an appreciative smile. "If he's anything like his brother and sister, he'll be a Fairy Tail wizard someday," he assured her quietly. "He doesn't need to grow up in the shadow of a legend."

.

Neirah leant forwards and gave him a gentle kiss. "What about Rykaylan then?" She whispered tenderly.

.

Laxus was too star-struck with his wife's dishevelled glow to worry about defying her. "A boy could be great with a name like that."

.

"You think so?"

.

"I think it's perfect." He admitted, enchanted with the moment. "You're… perfect."

.

She smiled, trying to stifle her faint giggles. "Little Ryky it is then."

.

Moments before the Dreyar's could enjoy a peaceful family moment, Gajeel was storming into the room to hold out his own son high for all to see. "I made a thing!" He informed them triumphantly, taking one quick look at the child before continuing. "A boy thing!" Gajeel demanded proudly, ignoring the infant's wails for his mother. "Redfox will live on! Gihihi!"

.

Neirah blinked back at him uncertainly. "Hm, Screwball? What happened to your head?"

.

"Don't wanna talk about it!" He demanded fervently.

.

"GAJEEL, BRING OUR SON BACK THIS INSTANT!" The room seemed to shake with Levy's furious cry.

.

"You're awful brave…" Laxus teased, uncertain as to whether Gajeel fainted or was struck for his impudence by his displeased wife. "Maybe that metal-head of yours is gettin' soft. I think you might've rattled what little brain is left in there."

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"Oh yeah?! Well, now I've got a boy to kick yer boy to the kerb for his sister!"

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"Gajeel, if Lillian didn't want to be around Alex, she'd kick him to the kerb herself." Neirah rumbled grimly.

.

"Well, now I got twice the kickin'!" Gajeel shuddered when his son started wailing unpleasantly as he was flaunted around. "Crap! What'd I do!?" He demanded frantically. "Man, I broke it… Lev's gonna kill me…"

.

Laxus blinked and watched Gajeel storm back down the hall with his newborn boy in his arms. "Wow… I get it now." He rumbled vaguely, turning towards his wife. "The crazy is in the family."

.

"It's certainly in ours." She teased with a gentle giggle, her son content between the two as they kissed. "Certainly in ours…"


	24. Twas the Night before Christmas

**Twas the Night before Christmas…**

.

.

"It's beginning to look a lot. like. Christmas." Neirah sang whimsically, drawing a woven sack from under the stairwell cupboard. "Toys beneath floorboards." She smiled and dragged the presents across the hardwood towards the dimly lit family room glistening with twinkling white lights on the tree and in the garland. She gave a disgruntled snort and flipped the pompom of her Santa hat out of her face. "And the prettiest sight you'll see. is the holly that will be. on your own. front. Yeep-!"

.

Laxus hoisted his wife up in one arm as the other shouldered the bag of gifts she'd been struggling to tote down the hall. "I beg to differ." He assured her curtly, batting at the pompom he'd knocked back down between her eyes with the couple fingers he wasn't using to secure the weight of the holidays at his back.

.

"Oh? And just what _would_ you consider the prettiest sight to see this time of year?"

.

Laxus dropped the sack on the couch and pried the top open, snooping through the wrapped presents enthusiastically. "Hmn, depends. What'd Santa get me this year?" Noticing that most of the gifts he browsed were addressed to their children, he got brave and lifted up the hem of her skirt.

.

Neirah gave him a stern slap on the chest despite remaining sitting comfortably against his arm. "The same thing as last year!" She demanded shrewdly. "A lump of coal for being a pervy old man!"

.

Laxus looked towards the ceiling before curling his lips to one side in lewd reminiscence. "Odd. I seem to recall a private audience with a sexy Mrs Clause around this time last year that said otherwise."

.

"That hag!" She snorted defiantly. "Any other entities you're seeing behind my back? Perhaps I'm not the only beast you have in your bed come Easter time." She ignored the playful roll of her husband's eyes as he slowly set her to her feet. She threw her hand out and pointed at him triumphantly. "Ah HA! I knew Alex hadn't been losing all those teeth on his own! You're having an affair with the tooth fairy!"

.

Laxus gave an amused snort and bopped her pompom to the side of her face as he passed her by. "You're cute when you talk nonsense."

.

She whirled around to face him with a beaming grin. "Dragonslayer secret art." She assured him playfully.

.

Laxus smiled humbly to himself as he knelt by the evergreen and started to empty the bag Neirah had brought into the light. "You get awful frisky this time of year, that's for sure. It's like having four kids instead of three."

.

Neirah blushed bashfully and took his side, hanging a couple of personalised, edible ornaments on the tree with her children's names embroidered on them in sugar. "I guess because I never had Christmas growing up, I just take a lot of joy in providing it for my kids."

.

Laxus caught a curt scoff in the back of his throat as he nibbled on one of the cookies Neirah had baked with their children earlier that afternoon. "You'll get a kick out of this." He teased, half a cookie still clenched between his teeth. "Alex's letter to Santa."

.

Neirah took the sheet of paper and started to skim her son's greatly improved handwriting. "Dear Santa, please get my parents to stop kissing all the time. Alex." Neirah stifled her laughter with her amusement. "Oh, that poor boy. He'll never believe in Santa. He asks for this every year and never gets his wish."

.

Laxus, with the start of another cookie between his teeth, silently slipped her their daughter's letter to Santa. "Don't worry, Lye's got us covered." He assured her enthusiastically.

.

"Hey! Not too many of those cookies before bed, mister! The last time you had more than two you were up until dawn!"

.

"Yes ma'am."

.

Neirah looked down at his offering curiously. "Make mommy and daddy kiss more, please. Like this!" Neirah couldn't contain her delighted giggles when she observed her daughter's romantic crayon drawing in the bottom corner of her letter. "Oh no, Santa! How will you ever please the house of Dreyar?!" Neirah gently reached into the bag of gifts to haul out a small envelope. "Unless Rykaylan breaks the tie on Lyra's side when he's old enough to write, the men in this family never seem to get what they want."

.

"I wouldn't say that..." Laxus turned to face her, the affectionate gleam in his eyes fading when she saw a sugary sweet dedicated to their youngest between her fingers. "H-hold on, do you really think Ryky needs more energy than what he came with?"

.

Neirah shooed her fretting husband away and hung little Ryky's ornament on a low branch. "You worry too much." She encouraged. "He'll be too busy playing with wrapping paper and boxes tomorrow to worry about any of the sweets in his stocking." She smiled warmly as she straightened the text. "Alex and Lyra are getting one, so he gets one too." She tipped her gaze back at him slyly. "What's the matter, daddy? Can't keep up with the three we've got?" She dropped her arms around her pouty husband's neck and gave him a gentle kiss. "Now imagine if we gave life to all twenty-seven of those little monsters you so desperately wanted the night we were married."

.

"First of all," he started grimly. "It was twenty-eight." He heaved a heavy sigh, too caught up in the sparkle of the warm holiday season to make much of a defence. "Secondly, if we didn't wait four years in between them all, I would still be young enough to deal with all their… y'know…"

.

"You're not old." She scolded him sternly.

.

"I feel old…"

.

"Now you know how it feels, _Master daddy_." She teased.

.

"Your brother cut his hair the other day… I think he's feelin' it too."

.

"Well, that makes sense!" Neirah chided enthusiastically, spinning elegantly out of his embrace. "My brother is four-hundred years older than you."

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"You need an off switch." He teased, accommodating her slow pirouette as his grip remained around her delicate fingertips.

.

"I thought we found that years ago?" She mewled, dipping back into his embrace with a delighted sigh.

.

"I hardly think that this is the place for that sort of talk."

.

"Well, if memory serves me correctly, talking has nothing to do with it."

.

Laxus smiled back at her tenderly. "You know, sometimes I forget just how lucky I am to have you…"

.

Neirah grinned back at him, her smile refusing to break even as she leant on her toes to kiss him. "Sweetie, all I want to do right now is rip your clothes off… The time for sweet talk was about half-a-bottle-of-wine ago."

.

"In other words, you got me the exact same thing for Christmas this year, as you did last year."

.

Neirah gave him a seductive smile before taking the Santa hat from her head and securing it on top of his. "Not this time, Mr Clause." She teased. "This year, I'm the one having the affair."

.

"Sorry kids, I've gotta kill Santa now."

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"Mn, you taste like cookie."

.

"But smell like the death of Christmas?"

.

"Shut up and kiss your wife."

.

"Yes ma'am."


	25. Does Mommy Lay Eggs?

**_Does Mommy Lay Eggs?_**

.

.*.

.

"Big brother? Where are you?" A fair little child skirted across the floors with the beat of rhythmic pattering beneath the tiny pads of her feet. Down the hall, down the stairs in a frantic search. She stumbled a bit on the last step, she always had, but she refused to hit the ground. Little white wings appeared at her back with a burst of golden glitter; the aerial resistance catching her as she fell. She landed a few steps forwards and smeared her bangs to one side, quickly checking to make sure no one saw her fumble. "Alex? Big brother?"

.

"Over here, Lye."

.

Lyra's pale golden waves bounced as she whirled around and corrected her trajectory to the living room.

.

"You know you're not supposed to use your magic just 'cause you're clumsy." Alex scolded.

.

"I know…" She whined. "I'll try harder… I just didn't want to fall when I was going so fastly."

.

"Then stop running in the house."

.

"What chu doing?"

.

Alex didn't raise his gaze from the Kho'Misika N'Ahrai as he directed his little sister's gaze to where their baby brother was crawling around the floor alongside the couch he was laying in. "Babysitting." The ten-year-old assured her. "Mom had to go visit dad at the guild real quick."

.

Lyra popped her head up by the couch arm, laying her hands on the cushion to help her see over the fluffy hump. "Lazy," she scolded. "You're not even playing with him."

.

Again, Alex didn't raise his gaze as he pointed to the little scorch marks on the carpet. "Am so." He assured her, another little spark of electricity skittering over the carpet. Lyra watched as their baby brother stuck his tongue out and crawled after the glittering strand.

.

"Boop, bleh… BOOP!" He lurched forward, falling onto his belly as he stretched himself thin to try and catch the evasive strand. He made an unflattering raspberry noise with his tongue still hanging out of his mouth before he began to drag his belly through the carpet ply like he was swimming.

.

"Ryky could get hurt." Lyra reasoned hesitantly, reaching the baby blonde's side. She heaved exasperatedly and sat her brother back upright. "You use daddy's really super strong magic and if you're not careful, it could go bad." She looked down at the baby in her lap who simply looked back up at her with bright blue eyes and repeated his crude noise.

.

Alex sighed and slid a bookmark in his grandmother's old diary. Honestly, he had only learned his father's magic out of necessity after he and his mother were attacked by the cultists who had tormented her in her youth. He wanted to know more about his mother's magic. He was fascinated that his grandfather was really a dragon and was desperate to learn more. His mother had started teaching him the ancient language of demons, Alra'Bekthian, and on his own, he was starting to translate small passages in the Kho'Misika N'Ahrai. Trying to do so, though, was proving difficult with two younger siblings crawling around.

.

He flipped his mop of dark auburn bangs from his eyes and sat up on the couch to offer his younger siblings a seat. "You were lookin' for me, right?"

.

Lyra beamed her beautiful smile, cobalt eyes shining as she dragged her indifferent baby brother along with her. Alex helped her heave Rykaylan onto the couch between her legs. He used to enjoy making jokes about how she'd broken their baby brother, who always seemed to have a goofy half-grin on his face with his tongue pushed out the middle of bubbling lips. Unfortunately, teasing her as such just made her cry, and even if they were good at distracting him, he loved his little siblings and would do anything to make them happy.

.

Lyra settled the ragdoll child between her legs on the couch and looked up at her big brother. "I had a question."

.

Alex looked back at her and nodded. There was a four-year gap between all three children congregating on the couch. Alex was the oldest at ten, and Rykaylan the youngest at two. "I'm all ears."

.

Her smile broadened, and with no hesitation, she boldly stated her inquiry. "Does mommy lay eggs like a dragon?"

.

Alex shook his head. "I don't think so, Lye. You weren't an egg when you were born."

.

"What puts the baby in her tummy then?" Being older than Ryky, she had seen her mother carry him. The specifics of where he originated from didn't elude her. She wanted to know how he got there.

.

Alex's look of humble discontentment was one certainly inherited from his father. "You didn't seriously think that mom ate an egg and then laid Ryky, did you?"

.

Lyra's giggle was over-exaggerated as she pretended that wasn't exactly what she had thought. "Nauo!" She assured him through her broad smile. "I want to know though!"

.

"Know what?" Alex pried.

.

"How babies are made?"

.

"Isn't it obvious?"

.

Lyra looked back at him, her smile fading with her curiosity. "I don't think so…"

.

Alex smiled and patted her head. "Blood and battle."

.

Lyra's already pales skin faded even ghastlier when she thought about his words.

.

"Boop…" Ryky cooed beneath her.

.

"Right after you were born, I asked mom where I came from and she told me blood and battle," Alex assured her. He and Rykaylan had been born as a result of their father's near death igniting passion between their parents the night they'd almost been taken from each other. Blood and battle was not far off the truth. "She said it's what'll make us strong."

.

Lyra's glowing orbs started to gloss with the presence of tears. "But… I don't want to be made with blood and battle."

.

The congregation of azure gazes all shifted to the door when the tumbler clicked over. Alex smiled and helped Lyra from the couch with Ryky in tote, careful to detour the child from tripping over the black sheppard that had been sleeping at the foot of the couch. "Sorry, Niko." He assured the dog casually upon passing.

.

Neirah opened the door to her home, met by a herd of little family members and their furry companion. She gave Niko an affectionate pat before she was met with Lyra's teary wails.

.

"Mommy, I don't want to be made of blood and battle!" Lyra demanded through big glossy tears.

.

It took Neirah a moment to process what her daughter had just told her but it all became clear when Alex joined her side with an explanation.

.

"She was asking how babies were made so I told her."

.

Neirah smiled softly and took baby Ryky from Lyra's arms, giving him a firm kiss on the cheek as he wobbled dorkily in her arms. "Well, that's true of my boys." Neirah cooed, reaching down to take her daughter's hand. "We haven't always had peaceful times. Sometimes mommy and daddy had to fight to make things right again."

.

She led Lyra to the couch and sat her on the opposite knee as her baby brother. "But that's not what made daddy's little angel." She cooed affectionately. "She was made of flowers and bubbles."

.

Lyra giggled as her mother nuzzled her cheek with her nose. Alex, on the other hand, simply knotted up his face with disbelief. "I don't believe you." He reprimanded sceptically. "Dad doesn't even like flowers."

.

"Who says?" Neirah snorted playfully. "You think your father's too cool to enjoy the finer things?"

.

"Yeah," Alex admitted without thinking. "Dad's tough, he doesn't like girly things like that."

.

Neirah reached out and snatched him by his collar, drawing him between his younger siblings for an assault of kisses and giggles. "Excuse me, prince! I am one of those finer things your father enjoys!" Neirah scolded, pinning a sniggering Alex between the kisses she and Lyra bombarded him with.

.

"Agh! Mom! Cut it out!" He scolded through laughter.

.

"What? Is my prince too _tough_ for kisses? Your father's not too tough for kisses." She teased. "He likes them here, and here, and here."

.

Alex squirmed as she kissed his forehead, his cheek, his head. "No! Stop! Stop it!" He chided, trying to shove her face away. His ears perked when he heard the door open again and his eyes widened with hope. "DAD! Dad! Help!"

.

Laxus looked down at the mess of Dreyar's on the living room couch, unsure of what exactly was happening. Niko was barking like a mad dog, and by the looks of it, his son was under attack.

.

"Master daddy's home!" Lyra sang, leaving her brother one attacker short. She ran to her father and leapt up into his arms.

.

"And just in time to witness a crime, I think." He rumbled softly, settling her against his shoulder.

.

He joined the rest of his family, his son reaching out to him like he was being sucked into a loving wormhole.

.

"Dad! Tell mom you don't like flowers!" Alex demanded it from his father like he was tattling on his mother. "Tough guys like us don't like flowers!"

.

Laxus looked down to where Ryky was bopping his head off of his leg. The child would crawl forth, bop his head, and then back up again to repeat the assault. One of his children greeted him affectionately, one was begging for his aid in combat, and the other was trying to plough his feet out from under him with invisible horns.

.

"Ok, dad's had to deal with a zoo full crazy Fairy Tail wizards all day. Can we try the, 'Hi honey, welcome home' card and see how that goes?"

.

Neirah released her squirmy son and took her husband's side. She scooped up the triceratops trying to slay a giant and gave Laxus a delicate kiss on the cheek. "This is what happens when you're master of the kingdoms rowdiest guild and master of your castle at home." She purred affectionately. "All disputes must be settled by you."

.

Alex finished wiping the kisses off his face before standing in front of his father, his hair a cow-licked mess as a result of his struggles. "So? Tell mom and Lye that you don't like flowers!" He demanded. "Mom said that babies are made with blood and battle! Not flowers and bubbles!"

.

"Bubbles?" Laxus snorted with gentle amusement. "But she's not wrong," he agreed. "You and you brother were made with battle."

.

"Told you." Neirah mused, sneaking another kiss to her son's cheek.

.

Alex recoiled as his triumphant mother circled him, his cheeks colouring with his frustration. "But what about Lye! She needs to be strong too!" He demanded.

.

"Not with two brothers to look out for her."

.

Alex flailed his arms to detour his mother's second kissing offence. "Mom, stop instigating!"

.

Neirah openly laughed. She thought it was absolutely adorable to hear her children speak so refined.

.

Alex ran to his father with a desperate look in his eyes as Laxus set Lyra on the ground to play with the gentle giant dancing at their feet.

.

"Come on, Blue!" Lyra cooed, running alongside the large dog that took careful heed not to accidentally barrel into her. "Let's go pick flowers for master daddy!"

.

"Dad!"

.

Laxus looked down at his eldest expectantly. Alex had always held him in high regard and the child seemed devastated that his father would even consider constructing a child with such fragile means.

.

"You're too tough, right dad?"

.

"Tough guys can like flowers."

.

"DAD NO!"

.

Neirah snickered to the side of the conversation, Ryky blowing bubbles in her arms. The youth honestly made it sound like his world was coming to an end.

.

"Well, I'd hope so." Laxus instigated. He dropped his palm to his son's ruffled mane. "I'd like to think my boy's pretty tough."

.

"What? Agh, not me dad! You!" Alex defended. "Mom's tryin' to say that you-"

.

"But you like a flower too."

.

Alex grew eerily silent with his father's insinuation.

.

"Don't you like Lily?"

.

Neirah stifled her laughter behind a knotted face until her son had stormed out of the room with crimson stained features puckered like a fish. As soon as he was out of earshot, Neirah burst out laughing. "Oh my, smooth daddy." She exclaimed, most impressed with her husband's quick thinking. Right from when they were young, Alex had always favoured Gajeel and Levy's daughter to the other kids his age. Lillian and Alex had become great friends, something Gajeel feared would bloom into something that a first-time father wasn't ready to deal with.

.

Laxus wrapped his arm around his wife and took a moment to enjoy the first bout of silence he'd experienced all day. "Don't tell your brother I said that." He silently pleaded.

.

"Your secret's safe with me." She purred, giving him a tender kiss on the lips.

.

His lips curled into a playful smile as he lowered his face to her shoulder and settled his nerves with an inhale filled by the sakura scented strands woven into her braid. "Flowers and bubbles, huh?" He murmured through his grin.

.

"Don't get any ideas, daddy."

.

Laxus rose to meet Ryky's large and vacant stare, the child's tongue still hanging out of his face. "Remind me never to let Bickslow babysit." He rumbled reaching out to grab the infant's tongue. Ryky slithered it back into his face moments before his father could snatch it.

.

"What are the chance it'll stay there?" Neirah whispered light-heartedly. Moments after she'd spoken, Ryky was flopping his tongue back out again and repeating his signature raspberry blow.

.

Laxus' expression faded dismally as he closed his eyes and puffed out a heavy sigh.

.

"He gets the dog from you." Neirah teased enthusiastically.

.

"Can we try for a normal one?"

.

"I said no more."


	26. Times Change

**Times Change  
**.  
. **  
**.

"Good night momma."  
.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Came her warm response. Unfortunately, the affection she felt for her daughter didn't keep her smile from fading as she silently shut the door upon her exit. She smoothed her nightgown down the front before crossing the hall, gently sliding the partially opened door to investigate the light source on the other side of it. "Alex? It's getting late, prince."  
.

"Sorry, mom." He murmured softly. "I didn't notice the time." He sighed with a languid stretch as he laid a bookmark between the pages of the book he was reading moments before shutting it. He turned to her with his father's smile on his lips. "I won't be up much longer. I'll be quiet if Lye and Ryky are already in bed."  
.

Neirah nodded agreeably and returned the beaming grin she'd offered her daughter moments before. "Thank you." She whispered softly.  
.

"Night mom." He mused affectionately.  
.

"Good night Alex…"  
.

She took a quick peek down the hall to where her bed remained empty at the end of it; a lonely candle flickering in the window in the same place it had for thirteen years. She smiled sadly and turned to go down her stairs, her footsteps as delicate as she could make them. She padded into the kitchen and gently retrieved the plate she had set on the counter before tucking her daughter into bed. Approaching the door, she slipped on her boots and coat before heading out into the streets of Magnolia.  
.

It was starting to get cold, but that's what happened when the fall rolled in to chase summer out. In its brisk embrace, her feet followed the engrained path that they knew all too well to deliver her to Fairy Tail's guild hall. She slowly pushed the door open, careful to close it behind her before stepping through the dimly lit halls. She had a couple more stairs to climb as she made her way through the largest hall Fairy Tail had ever called it's own, but she would always know her way. She would always call it home.  
.

To one side of the top floor, the light was a little stronger, but still much too weak for its purpose. With a gentle giggle, she saw herself to it. For a moment, she just stared at the broad shoulder's that faced her; hunched over the desk in front of them. An elbow hitched on the scattered papers covering the oak surface and supported the weight of an exhausted expression. But what goes around, comes around.  
.

She entered the room and set her gentle offering alongside him, stirring him from his thoughts as she laid her fingertips against his shoulder. "Our kids may not have taken much notice that you missed supper, but I did." She cooed affectionately, meeting his gaze as he offered it over the brim of semi-rim frames.  
.

"Damn…" He murmured in defeat. "Sorry… I didn't realise the time." She caught an amused laugh before it escaped her and leant down to press a gentle kiss against his temple.  
.

"Your son is becoming more and more like you every day." She teased.  
.

There was a weak and derivative catch in her husband's breath as he scoffed at her encouragement. "Great. And I thought the old man had got me good."  
.

"Still can't catch up huh?"  
.

Laxus dropped his head into his hands with an exasperated sigh. "I swear the old geezer was set up somewhere in a stupid costume handing out fliers or something to any wizard who looked crazy enough to make my life miserable."  
.

Neirah openly laughed at the mental picture she received from his words. "Well, he does owe you one for the years of torment you offered him in your younger days." She absently raked her fingers through his hair as she watched him attempt to sort through his mess. "They're clearly all the rebellious mischief makers we ever were." Her brow creased when there came nothing but an inaudible grunt from him as a response. "I heard Alex welcoming a new member to the guild today." She started playfully, sweeping her hand over his shoulder. "He made sure to proudly declare that his 'old man' was the guild's master." She reported, informing him that she was well aware why the distance had kept him so late.  
.

"Don't remind me…" He murmured grimly. "And with the time we spent celebrating his birthday, I haven't managed to catch up one bit…"  
.

Neirah sighed gently as she watched him continue to sort through papers like he had a filing system. He wasn't working at all. "It's not the end of the world." She whispered whimsically, attracting his undivided attention with his curiosity. "Times change…" She started with a small smile. "Our kids are growing up… and so are we."  
.

Laxus dropped his sheepish gaze to the plate of dinner he'd missed to hide away from his insecurities. "I should have known better than to think I could hide it after fifteen years." He forced out in amusement. "It just… it didn't go by nearly as fast the first time…"  
.

"Laxus…" She whispered warmly, hugging him from his side. "You're not nearly old enough for this kind of talk."  
.

He smiled weakly before pulling her down into his lap. "Easy for you to say. By my birth year I'm fifty-six." He muttered wryly. "But I already feel about eighty."  
.

She laughed and dropped her arms around his neck. "Yes, but thanks to the first and my father, you are not." She sang in high spirits. She turned her attention to some documents on his desk, absently scanning their text. "Oh, rue the day that Natsu and Lucy had a son." She picked up the magic council's report and skimmed it as her husband hummed groggily. "I see he takes after HIS father too."  
.

"I've only been doing this for thirteen years and I already want to retire." He groaned.  
.

Neirah turned and bopped him with the rolled up letter summing up the young lad's destruction in Hargeon. "I will hear no such talk." She teased. "Your son only just turned thirteen today, it's far from cataclysmic." She climbed to her feet and quickly sorted the papers on his desk with a definitive harrumph. "So tomorrow, I want you home all day." She began to dictate, causing him to raise a brow in amusement as she tidied his workspace. "Then the day after, Levy and I will help you sort out this mess so that you can spend more time helping Alex with the magic he's trying to learn."  
.

He closed his eyes and bowed his head with a characteristically sly grin. "Yes, mam." Came his obedient reply. He caught his breath when he felt her slide up behind him, one hand beckoning his attention as the other slipped his glasses from his face.  
.

"But tonight, your wife refuses to fall asleep alone." She whispered gently against his lips, tossing his spectacles to the desk in front of him. "So, I am ordering this guild's Master to come home. And let's see if we can't find that spark you need to give it another go." She curled her fingers around his neck and gently pressed her lips to his, indulging in the type of kiss that would be sure to make even their thirteen-year-old son cringe with discontent.  
.

He lingered in the moment a while before looking back into her glowing expression; that cool fire still burning hot behind sapphire eyes. He parted his lips to speak but ended up laying his palm against the back of her head to drag her against them instead.  
.

She was slightly more breathless when she was released, but her smile no weaker. "Am I going to have to repeat myself?" She breathed out headily, her head tipping towards the fingers that gently worked themselves through her hair.  
.

"This guild's Master doesn't know if he can wait…" He admitted rather darkly with the consideration of recent normalities.  
.

It had been a while since she'd felt her cheeks flush with heat by a mere tone in his voice, but she didn't deny the catch of her lip between her teeth like she was hearing it for the first time. "Then perhaps… he should have kept his desk clear…" She purred, startling herself with the seductive rasp that had surfaced in a voice that had been smoothed over by years of baby talk. She was pleased with the rouse in response she'd received from him, knowing full well that it would always be a particular spark that they'd never have to search very hard for. Continuing with her persuasive way, she smoothed her hand over his chest and tugged one of the top buttons on his shirt free. "All the more incentive to work extra hard com-" She couldn't deny that she actually flinched with the suddenly loud reverberation of his forearm striking the desk and sweeping to one side in the quiet room. She watched as he toppled half its contents to the floor with the motion, but his gaze didn't raise from where it stared blankly forwards.  
.

He lingered for a long moment after the room had grown silent again, and she listened to the racing of her heartbeat with her startle as he sharply cut his gaze to hers. She thanked infinity that she'd already removed his glasses because she feared that if she hadn't of, the look that he was offering in that moment to accompany them would have been toxic.  
.

After a long and unresponsive moment, she managed the weakest of squeaks in reply. "Huh…" She whimpered out pathetically as if his action merely roused her intrigue. It took her a while to realise that her palms were clammy beneath her tensed fists so she casually released them. Unfortunately, her recovery wasn't nearly swift enough because they had retracted apprehensively the moment he pushed away from his desk and slowly stood.  
.

"So… here's a better question."  
.

She hated how loud her dry swallow sounded as she forced it down her throat the moment he was comfortably standing before her. "Proceed." She mused as confidently as she could when her heart beat solo had her body temperature weakening her knees with the liquefying of her joints.  
.

She couldn't remember the last time it felt so good to have his hands on her hips, his lips on her neck. The gesture seemed so innocent to a couple of fifteen years with three children. But then, she supposed some things didn't change, no matter how much time passed. "Am I gonna have to carry you home when we're through here?"  
.

Nope, some things would stay perfectly the same.


	27. Saint's Valentine

**_Saint's Valentine  
_**.

.*.  
.

Neirah was lying in bed, a sleepy little smile curling her lips as her heavy-lidded gaze observed the dance of candlelight break in warning of a rather broad silhouette at her back. She buried half her face in the pillow she was coddling, one curious sapphire peeking out from behind playfully bashful lashes. It had been a while since she'd counted each button as he undid them, nibbling her lip like a love-struck school girl.

.

When she felt the weight of his palm cause the mattress to sink beneath her with his advance, she decided to inform him of her consciousness. "Sneaking in late hm? Now I know where your son gets it from." She crooned affectionately, smiling wryly with the sound of his heavy sigh at her back.

.

Laxus dipped down and placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder blade. "I didn't forget if that's what you're thinking."

.

"Keep the tie on," she purred. Her smile remained sunny as she rolled her head to the opposite side of the kisses he was placing on her nape. "Long day?"

.

"You don't know the half of it…" He whispered exhaustedly. He heaved a heavy sigh and stroked her tresses back out of her face as she rolled into his embrace. "Alex said to tell you he'll be late."

.

"Or so he thinks," Neirah crooned musically, reaching up to stroke the curves of his face with a sardonic grin. "He'll be 'until my brother finds out his daughter's missing.'"

.

"It's their first Valentine's together, I let him have this one," Laxus assured her lightly. "If your brother ruins it for him, that's not my problem."

.

"It will be when our oldest comes home in pieces."

.

"So, some assembly required. I can be handy," he teased. "He'll just have to wait 'til tomorrow. I kinda have plans for the rest of my Valentine's day…"

.

"Speaking of Valentine's Day, did you bring your wife flowers, Sparky." She pestered, feeling juvenile just touching on the matter of tradition.

.

"I brought you ' _a_ ' flower." He mused affectionately, brushing the blossom against her nose. "But I made sure it was the prettiest one there." He gave an impish grin as he dipped down to gently kiss her lips. "But now I'm starting to think that hour was a waste. Damn thing's got nothing on you."

.

"Mn, at least pour me a drink before you start sweet talking." She quipped back roguishly, giving his nose a gentle poke. She took up his flowery offering and tossed it back against her pillow. It was the thought that counted and her prince always seemed to have her in mind. She'd never caught him once.

.

She took his hand in hers and kissed all the little scratches the thorns left behind, healing them as she went. She should have known better than to think that after all those years he'd learned to wear gloves when picking wild roses. "It'll make me feel less vulnerable when I melt into your palms." She narrowly parted her lashes to roll her gaze his way with her schemes. "What about Lyra and Ryky-"

.

"They're already in bed," Laxus assured her swiftly. "I made sure to check in on them before I came in here." He leant over her dainty figure and gently kissed her forehead. "I'd figure it'd be best to cover my bases before I closed the door and got jumped by a rabid beast."

.

Neirah gently traced his forearms with her nails, her crooked smile remaining. She was weak in perception with her heady thoughts and absently staggered out her reply with intent. "Ok daddy, you win… For the next three hours, I'm yours."

.

His brow creased curiously with her time limit on their affections. "Should've brought more than one, huh?"

.

"No, your efforts are far from inadequate." She purred lightly.

.

"Then what happens in three hours?"

.

"Mommy and daddy wait up for their son to make curfew."

.

* * *

.

Alex wanted to bang his head off the door frame when he opened it only to see his father hitched up against the kitchen doorway with a stern expression on his face. 'Annnd busted…'

.

Laxus kept his stern gaze locked on his teenaged son, waiting for the deer-in-the-headlights look so fade from his mother's eyes as he silently contemplated means of escape. "You're late…"

.

"I know! I kno- wait… where's mom?" Alex asked quizzically, honestly concerned more about his mother's wrath than his father's

.

Laxus sighed and pushed off his perch to close the front door behind his adolescent son. "Lily's father happens to be a damn good friend of mine, so I expect you to treat him with the same respect you'd give me." He assured sternly. "I'll assume because you're late, that means you were just draggin' your own feet after having her back on time."

.

Alex shifted awkwardly, his gaze wandering over the shadows of the room just waiting for his mother to spring forth and sear him with her rage. Even his father was suspiciously casual for a transgression that he was warned about on a nearly daily basis since he was five.

.

"And if your mother asks, I gave you a long talk and grounded you for a week and all that crap."

.

Alex's brow furrowed curiously as he watched his father head for the staircase. "W-wait… mom's not on guard, you're not ma-"

.

Laxus tipped a casual, detached gaze over his shoulder. "Just be thankful your old man's still got it."

.

Alex's expression paled grimly when the realisation struck him. "Oh, not cool dad."

.

"You owe me one." Laxus rumbled upon parting.

.

Alex shook his head in denial of his train of thought, his face beet in colour. He may have grown out of the adolescent that used to cringe every time his parent's kisses, but it was a little different to hear about them going any further. "Oh, so not freaking cool!"


End file.
